


your skin and bones turn into something beautiful

by Anonymous



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Christmas Decorations, Dysfunctional Family, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Mistletoe, One Shot Collection, Protectiveness, Ranboo-Typical Amnesia, Relationship Reveal, Running Away, Sick Character, Snow, Suicide Attempt, Tickling, Wedding Bouquet, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28139685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: ranboo peers down at tommy and even like this, beaten and battered with his clothes ripped to shreds, he’s ethereal, a higher being that he will never deserve. tommy is so much more than ranboo could ever be, bright and energetic and fighting against defeat till his soul is torn to pieces, and he’s beautiful for it, even when he is crumbling apart and barely holding on. he was once a spitfire that attracted everyone to him like moths to a flame and ranboo wants to reignite that spark again, set alight the passion that would make his face light up like the summer sun.[a collection of ranboo/tommy one-shots and drabbles.]
Relationships: Ranboo/TommyInnit
Comments: 136
Kudos: 812
Collections: Anonymous





	1. runaways au

**Author's Note:**

> title from yellow by coldplay :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ranboo has had enough, tommy just wants to be happy once again, and so, they decide to run away together. 
> 
> (don't blame tommy, it's ranboo's idea.)

logsteadshire is at peace as the night begins to settle in.

well, perhaps peace is the wrong word. it’s quiet in a way l’manburg’s populated streets will never be and the view of the ocean splashing against the shore is a pretty sight, but the town’s one resident would never describe this place as tranquil. 

tommy never hesitates to scorn this makeshift campsite in both the notes they leave to each other in hidden chests and straight to ranboo’s face when they meet beneath the stars. ranboo can’t blame him for the ire. you can never judge a book by its cover and the well-made house ghostbur had built will never be a home, not to tommy, not when it’s barren of any sort of love.

ranboo feels the same about l’manburg, if he is honest with himself. the house he resides in is built on top of a crater, the streets are filled with lanterns and market stalls and out of place wanted posters, the smiles of its residents feel fake the instant you realise they willingly cast out one of their own - it’s all just a garish facade made for fools to believe in and ranboo has no want to believe in its lies. 

maybe that is what drew him and tommy into each other’s orbit. for while ranboo was already far too gone at just the sight of a braces-filled and ridiculously bright smile, he was fully ensnared by tommy’s charms in the evenings they’d spend hiding away from the rain in a white tent, water dripping down the blonde strands of hair as tommy shivered from the invading cold. something snapped into place in those moments, something deep inside telling ranboo that yes, this is the one he wishes to protect against all odds. 

visiting logsteadshire is no easy task, not when the eyes of l’manburg’s cabinet have grown sharper with suspicion and paranoia. as the days pass by, the air of discomfort grows, with fundy weighed down even more by his father’s passing and tubbo still dealing with the guilt of betraying his closest friend and quackity falling into the cycle of abuse. ranboo has to be careful, has to make sure no one distrusts the forgetful boy who plays his cards right to keep both him and tommy safe.

but ranboo always manages to slip away in the quiet moments, when everyone is resting in their beds and no one has their gaze focused on another realm. travelling through the nether portal is not a strange experience for a hybrid built on the framework of a species that can transport themselves at will. no, the chill that rises over ranboo’s spine is from another source as he looks over the grass to see if he can spot that emotionless mask that makes his blood run cold.

instead, he thankfully is greeted by sun-kissed hair and cold hands as a slightly shorter body collides with his own, uncaring of the hard armour that encases ranboo’s looming form. and ranboo returns the affection in earnest, wrapping his too-long arms around tommy’s shoulders and pressing his nose into his hair, uncaring of blood and dirt that stains tommy’s skin.

ranboo prefers to pretend that he cannot feel tommy’s palms shaking against his back and that he can’t notice the redness around tommy’s likely sore eyes. prying information from tommy’s lips was easier once upon a time. now it’s a chore ranboo cannot commit to, not when that soft gaze zips his mouth shut as tommy pleads for a small moment of normalcy. he’ll talk when he is ready and ranboo will forever wait for him to speak his mind, but forever won’t be very long if tommy’s exile continues on without a reprieve in sight.

he peers down at tommy as the sun sets, the orange-tinted horizon casting a glow over muted blue eyes. even like this, beaten and battered with his clothes ripped to shreds, he’s ethereal, a higher being that ranboo will never deserve. perhaps that is what makes him so intoxicating to be around. ranboo doesn’t know what it truly means to love and be loved in return, not when he is a hybrid split down the middle who can barely remember what led him down this path into tommy’s open and inviting arms, but he thinks he has found that peace here.

tommy is so much more than ranboo could ever be, bright and energetic and fighting against defeat till his soul is torn to pieces, and he’s beautiful for it, even when he is crumbling apart and barely holding on. he was once a spitfire that attracted everyone to him like moths to a flame and ranboo wants to reignite that spark again, set alight the passion that would make his face light up like the summer sun.

he’s a shadow of that person now, sickly in his seclusion. a trench coat that has seen better days, covered in soot and dried blood, hangs over his figure. it’s too big for his tiny bones, for while tommy may be tall, he is the opposite of imposing, just malnourished and starved instead. there’s a burn over the curve of his arm, harsh and red against the paleness of his skin, from when tommy got too close to one of dream’s explosions. there are bruises over his knuckles and dark circles etched beneath his eyes and he curls into himself, posture stunted.

tommy has become far too obedient under dream’s rule and it stings more than it should, as ranboo cups his cheek in his hand and watches the relief flood tommy’s features. the tommy of before would have ranted about how even with ranboo’s arrival he is still the youngest on the server and pulled him down by his pointed ears demanding for them to be on an equal level and bitten ranboo’s lips till they bled and ranboo couldn’t tell if he was breathless from the kiss or from the smoke filling his lungs. instead, tommy sinks into him, touch-starved, and ranboo leans down to brush his lips over tommy’s scraped forehead.

in the end, ranboo cares so little about l’manburg and dream and this damn server, and the only reason he pays any care towards the discs is because they mean so much to this boy. he’s been here for not too long, half a year spent in a constant war of push and pull, and the only one who truly managed to capture his attention is tommy. 

ranboo is a dedicated traveller, never stopping for more than a week since no one ever caught his eye, not until his gaze landed upon a blonde boy in a red and white shirt laughing like the world was ending, who would drag him into silly, reckless schemes all for fun and games, who was the first person in eons to not act like ranboo was a circus attraction. and then he watches that boy fall, shattered upon obsidian walls for small sins, and ranboo learns quickly that the dream smp is kind to no one.

and so ranboo prepares, feigning most of his memory loss, talking amongst the locals to gain their trust as he builds up his weaponry and supplies for the long journey ahead of them. and the small inkling of warmth ranboo feels for tubbo and fundy and niki is nothing compared to the fondness for this boy who carries the weight of a server on his shoulders, for no one else seems willing to help with that burden. friends and family have lost their right to be called such the minute they abandoned tommy to the whims of nature and the server’s operator. 

the primal side of ranboo that only rises when a stranger tries to dig too deep into his vibrant eyes rears its ugly head. he’s too protective of tommy and he knows it very well. he nearly snapped when they banded together to proclaim the boy selfish, because it’s blatantly obvious that tommy cares too much and too deeply as his fragile body overflows with it, till he is ready to cast himself in the nether’s pit of lava. and no one cared, no one tried to save him from this fate, not even the anarchist of a brother who could have stood up to dream’s tyranny, and ranboo is only held back by the knowledge that tommy still loves those who turned their back on him.

“tommy,” ranboo whispers. it is the first noise cast across this land apart from the rise and fall of the ocean’s waves hitting the sand. tommy has become silent in his solitude and ranboo’s brethren know better than to stray near the boy, the rumbling of monsters beneath the surface rising up no longer. and hazy eyes raise up to stare into his own, blue against red and green, and ranboo knows he has made the right decision. 

“let’s run away,” he says bluntly, for it is the obvious and only conclusion he could ever come to. tommy needs to heal, far away from the crimes that litter this server and the family that refused to protect their youngest sibling, and ranboo will never let this boy be lonely again for as long as he can still breathe. “i- i’ve been packing up for a while now. i have enough food to last us for a couple of months when we get out of here. we could find a new server, somewhere peaceful, just the two of us. together.”

“together?” tommy whispers. his voice is hoarse and raw, still not accustomed to being used often, not when dream would beat him into the dirt for his defiance and everyone else had long grown used to yelling at him to shut up. “you want to leave here… with me?” he is so hesitant at the thought of someone wanting to stick by his side and it leaves behind another crack in ranboo’s self control, pulling the boy a little tighter into his arms.

“together,” ranboo affirms, nodding with a fond smile, brushing a hand gently through tommy’s hair. “forever and always, yeah? i’m not leaving you behind. you’re the only one here i really give a damn about and i’m not letting you rot away in exile forever. screw dream, he can’t stop us from getting out of here. he won’t be able to hurt you anymore, tommy.”

tommy’s bony fingers cling to the back of ranboo’s suit through the gaps in his armour, as he looks up into ranboo’s face with such unbridled awe, tears pricking at the corner of his glossy eyes. he surges up, pressing dry lips against ranboo’s own in such a quick act of desperation that it catches the hybrid off guard, and ranboo catches tommy as they stumble into the grass together, sprawled awkwardly over the steps. but ranboo doesn’t care about the sudden pain in his back, not when tommy is looking at him like that, eyes shining a little brighter, a small smile that has been sorely missing gracing his face.

no one is there to watch as they stand again, brushing their dirt off their knees and smiling to each other as they share a deep secret. no one will notice their absence until the next morning and perhaps they won’t be able to figure out the circumstances of their disappearance, not when everyone was convinced ranboo was happy behind l’manburg’s suffocating borders and not when many of them had lost their understanding of tommy long ago. 

in the time to come, the people they are leaving behind will possibly regret the decisions that led the two here. but regret fixes nothing and together, tommy and ranboo raise their communicators, ranboo’s brand new and shining, tommy’s with the screen shattered and the edges rusted. and together, they press the button that will lead them onto a new and fulfilling life. together.

[ranboo left the game.]

[tommyinnit left the game.]

to new beginnings, the system whispers in its code, sending the pair onto a kinder path, watchful eyes protecting a child forged in the bloodshed of war and the half-monster who seeks to love him unconditionally regardless of the consequences.


	2. protective!ranboo au pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tommy doesn’t expect to be caught in a blizzard, but stuck in inches of snow in only a t-shirt and ripped jeans, he calls for the one person he can trust whole-heartedly. 
> 
> featuring protective!ranboo :) and a slightly broken sbi family :(

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the very kind reception to my first one-shot :] i wasn't expecting to get more than 10 kudos, but apparently i'm not the only person who really likes this ship!
> 
> i have a lot of ideas for these two but since i'm posting these anonymously, i needed to keep them together somehow. i decided to have them all in one book instead of making a series, because some might end up being quite short and i don't really like posting anything under 1k words. hope you enjoy!!

ranboo is strolling alongside tubbo through the market stalls of l’manburg when he suddenly feels a strange tugging sensation beginning to build in his chest.

it starts small, miniscule even, just a feeling of being misplaced and not quite right. but then it builds, violently, striking unbridled rage and fear through his bones without ranboo having any idea of the cause. 

but then ranboo realises, from the purple particles floating around his body and how his form begins to flicker in and out of sight, that he’s about to teleport unwillingly. there is only one thing, one person, that could cause a reaction like this and ranboo’s blood runs cold, his neck cracking as his head snaps toward his companion.

“tubbo, there’s an emergency,” ranboo chokes out, his eyes wide in panic, the vibrant colour of them almost haunting and shining beneath the darkness that blankets the street. “i’ve got to go. right now.”

“ranboo, what are you-” that’s all he hears, catching a glimpse of tubbo’s soft eyes glinting with confusion, before suddenly ranboo is being smacked in the face with the harsh winter air, snowflakes floating down and making a home against the black portion of his hair. 

only one thing could have brought him here - a very modified ender pearl he had gifted to tommy, shoving it in his hands as he protested against the idea that it was some sort of ‘pity shit’. it was for emergencies only, he had emphasised - “if you ever need me for anything life-threatening, break it” - and they had both hidden it far away from dream’s prying eyes and his stack of tnt.

and there is tommy, collapsed onto his knees into inches and inches of snow, the cracked remains of the ender pearl clutched in his red-tinted hands. 

“tommy!” ranboo calls out frantically, stumbling forward through the severe winds and kneeling down to gather the smaller boy into his arms. he’s still just clad in that red-and-white t-shirt that had fared well in exile, short and torn sleeves barely covering his sickly pale skin, and ranboo scorns himself for allowing tommy to reject every one of his offers of new clothes. 

“shit, tommy, you’re freezing.” ranboo tries not to think about what would have happened if tommy had been abandoned here with no hybrid to keep him out of harm's way. tommy’s eyes are hazy as they look up at him, a muted blue that always makes ranboo wince from memories of how much they used to sparkle. his usually golden hair has practically turned white and his lips are tinted a concerning shade of blue. “why are you even out in the snow?”

“‘was looking for blade,” tommy slurs, slumping even more into ranboo’s hold, his nose pressed in the lapels of ranboo’s jacket. it stands out now, just how thin tommy has become, his frame skinny and malnourished against ranboo’s somewhat broader shoulders, and the hybrid’s stomach turns. “dream blew everything up. needed to find somewhere to stay an’ didn’t wanna bother you.”

“dream did what? and you can bother me all you want, you know much how i-” ranboo forces the question out through clenched teeth, but cuts himself off abruptly, for when his clawed fingers press against tommy’s exposed skin, he finds him so ice cold it almost burns. “okay, oh god, you’re way too sick. um, we’ll talk about dream later. let’s get you somewhere safe.”

there’s not exactly anywhere to go. techno’s house is likely somewhere near here, but ranboo doesn’t want to spend time searching for it, not when techno is more of a shoot now, ask questions later kind of guy and especially not when ranboo is even sure he can trust the boar being close to tommy after all the betrayal the two of them had thrown each other’s way.

so he settles for tugging tommy up into his arms, cradling him close in a bridal carry as he runs for any kind of shelter, even if he only stumbles across a cliff-face. it’s their only choice and he keeps one arm snug around tommy’s waist so the boy doesn’t fall as he awkwardly slams his pickaxe into the stone, crafting a big enough space for the two of them as fast as possible before sealing them into a dimly lit cave.

ranboo helps tommy settle on the ground, back resting against the jagged edges of the makeshift wall, and it can’t possibly be comfortable but tommy doesn’t complain, just looks up with lost eyes and grabs at ranboo’s jacket for something he wants but won’t voice. 

quickly, in the blink of an eye so he can focus on his friend who nearly just died until ranboo showed up, he fashions a campfire out of the few sticks and coal he has left in his inventory. it’s small, but enough to generate some heat in the chill of the snowy tundra.

ranboo returns to tommy’s side, helping him take a few sips of water and a few bites of bread, although his stomach has not been able to handle much food as of late, not since dream starved him so much in his exile. and it’s remembering the horrors that this boy has faced as he wraps his suit jacket over tommy’s tiny shoulders, that makes a noise rumble from deep within, a much more monster-like sound that he hasn’t found himself uttering for quite a long time.

when ranboo sits on the ground beside him, long legs awkwardly laid out in the tiny space, he expects only to wrap an arm around the other’s shoulders, but tommy shuffles closer, weak limbs pushing him half-on and half-off ranboo’s lap. he hesitates, slightly shocked, arms hovering over tommy’s back, wondering if this is too much. but then he breaks and drags the boy fully on top of him. it’s the kind of intimacy they haven’t experienced much of yet and it makes ranboo sigh in content. 

“you’re so stubborn,” ranboo whispers into tommy’s hair, rubbing a hand over his back beneath the dark fabric that swallows his lithe frame whole. tommy had dozed off a while before, curled up comfortably, fingers clinging to the white fabric of ranboo’s shirt. “i know you want to do things on your own, but you should have called for me sooner. i could have taken both of us far, far away from here.”

perhaps ranboo would have said more, would have spilled his guts when tommy wasn’t even conscious enough to listen, but then he catches onto incoming footsteps. his hearing as a hybrid is naturally sharper than most humans and he instantly knows it’s likely not a mob. steps too precise and too controlled to be a zombie, no cackling like he’d expect from a witch and no rattling noise that would come alongside skeletons.

there’s multiple sets. it’s humans. it’s got to be humans. and ranboo finds humanity so much more dangerous than the creatures he shares some abilities with, because creatures all adhere to the same hive mind but the moral codes of humans never line up properly. who knows who that could be, so far off from l’manburg’s borders.

it could be dream. it would make sense, the server operator had been attempting to indoctrinate tommy to be under his command and his command alone, only foiled by ranboo’s constant visits and encouraging words to tommy when they were alone under the stars. who else could have followed them here, if not the man who wants to control his biggest threat. 

the strange, enderman-esque noises that ranboo had held back for years out of fear of being labelled a freak don’t stop, spilling out without his consent, all of his senses screaming out _danger, tommy is in danger, protect him._ and then the voices begin.

“i think i can hear another enderman over here.” fatherly, guiding, but also weary and worn down.

“good. i need more pearls.” monotone, flat, but with an undercurrent of stress.

“don’t kill it techno! what if it’s a friendly enderman?” light, airy, but distinctly unsettling, as if it is not meant to be heard by human ears.

ranboo unintentionally lets out a guttural growl, gathering tommy tighter against his chest, as if he could hide him away from the world completely. he knows those voices, although admittedly the second he still isn’t all that familiar with. but the first and the last are sometimes found in l’manburg and as torch light begins to cast through the new cracks on the wall from the opposite side ranboo had entered, he feels the protective urges grow even more. 

“oh, ranboo!” ghostbur greets him cheerfully, floating ahead of his companions who are staring at the hybrid sprawled in the small space with blatant confusion. there is a brand new scarf wrapped around his grey neck, coloured a pale blue with white, gold and red details that contrast heavily with his yellow sweater. the colours of the antarctic empire.

“what are you doing here so far from l’manburg? are you here to mine too?” ghostbur is seemingly oblivious to the stress grating on ranboo’s nerves, but then he peers down at the bundle clutched tightly in ranboo’s arms and something sadder and more alarmed flashes through his empty eyes. “is- is that tommy?”

“ranboo? tommy?” phil asks, stepping forward and making a sharp noise of surprise at the sight of his son so tiny and frail, collapsed in ranboo’s arms. his fingers reach out, as if to check if his son is still breathing behind those prominent ribs, but it was the wrong move to make. ranboo jerks back, a harsher, even more threatening sound crying out from the back of his throat and phil jolts, stepping back a few paces and looking at the hybrid with more concern than fear. 

“i’d probably stay back if i were you,” ranboo warns, voice cracking as it slides in and out of sounding at all human. he’s unable to stabilise his warring sides, creature against human, both protective but just in different ways, and he probably won’t be able to calm down until tommy is tucked into a bed and finally fully warm. “my enderman instincts are lashing out and i’d rather not try and kill anyone today.”

endermen are passive creatures until provoked and ranboo does not share most of their issues. he can have people look him in the eyes most of the time, even if he’s a little awkward about it, and water has never bothered him all that much. but endermans are known for stealing, snatching blocks, and while ranboo is not a thief, he is protective of what he declares as his own beyond belief. any threat to tommy’s life will be at risk of his wrath.

“we would never hurt tommy,” ghostbur defends and ranboo laughs, the noise strange and warbly. it’s frankly so wrong, even if ghostbur does not know of alivebur’s deeds. but ranboo does, listened to tommy’s sobbing words in the middle of the night and felt the beginnings of hatred festering beneath his skin for tommy’s neglectful family, wiped the tears off tommy’s sunken cheeks and pressed kisses to his forehead when no one else would.

ranboo knows that everyone else deferred too easily to dream’s demands. but nothing can control ranboo when it comes to tommy, certainly not a green, good for nothing bastard who keeps abusing the boy he loves, and nothing should have kept the most powerful family on this server from standing by their youngest son.

perhaps ghostbur cannot be blamed for his own forgetfulness if you remember that death made him a constant and consistent amnesiac. but techno and phil have zero excuses as the older, supposedly more mature and definitely alive family figures who even visited logsteadshire once or twice. they could have brought him home. instead they left him to rot. 

“well, excuse me for not giving you my vote of confidence,” ranboo snarks, fingers drawing patterns on tommy’s spine in an attempt to distract himself from the pulsing pain at the back of his head telling him to fight. “i’m a little wary of all of you given how tommy almost froze to death just now because he had to search for his family instead of them being around to help him in the first place.”

“what?” phil eventually asks after a few moments of heavy silence. he sounds broken, the word barely more than a whisper, and wilbur makes a devastated noise that is more ghostly than human. ranboo doesn’t feel sorry for breaking it to them so casually that tommy could have joined his brother in becoming an echo, not when it’s partially their fault he’s still in this mess. 

because ranboo was the only one who kept visiting, the only one who kept tommy sane while dream was shoving lies down his throat, the only one tommy even trusts anymore because all of them left him behind to be torn apart by dream’s hubris. they let a ghost join their ranks, but they wouldn’t even consider checking on a teenager who had been cast aside by the country he had created and then saved. 

“he needed to learn a lesson,” techno shrugs, but his nervous twitches tell a different story. he’s not at all nonchalant, he’s just playing a role instead of stepping up to be an older brother. “we can’t always be there to fix his mistakes.” there’s an uncomfortable edge to his eyes, as if he is saying it for the sake of his pride, although he very well knows he has fucked up, and phil slaps him on the shoulder, eyeing him disappointedly.

“are you serious?” ranboo asks increduoulsy and if he didn’t have tommy in his arms, he probably would have decked the other for his casual dismissal of tommy’s suffering. ”he’s only sixteen for god's sake! he’s too young for any of this!” the words burst out of him without warning and he’s much louder than intended, sharp enough that techno winces and steps back with his axe raised in the air for his own defence. 

“rannie?” tommy stirs in his grasp and everyone freezes at the small sound of tommy’s voice, defeated, no hint of his once energetic attitude left behind since all of it had been devoured by dream’s greed. the nickname is new, though, probably a consequence of how sleep-deprived tommy must be. his head pokes out from beneath the all-encompassing black jacket and phil gasps loudly at the bruises and scrapes littering the sides of tommy’s face. 

ranboo watches as tommy rubs a fist over his eyes, pushing himself further into ranboo’s hold and humming contently, not at all aware of his family being inches away. “sorry,” ranboo apologies, the beastly quality to his voice having vanished now that it’s tommy he is speaking to. “didn’t mean to wake you up. are you feeling any better?”

“ran’s warm,” he mumbles, face planted in the centre of ranboo’s chest and the hybrid prays to any higher being willing to listen that his face isn’t turning an interesting colour right now. he’s too soft for this boy and it melts away the harsh lines of stress that had plagued his forehead.

techno seems to tighten his already harsh grip around the hilt of his weapon at the sight of how close the two of them are, knuckles turning white as if he is holding himself back from skewering ranboo on his sword. ranboo bites back the urge to tell techno that he has no right to be so overprotective, not when he mocked tommy for his exile and then ran off without another glance.

“t-that wasn’t really an answer to my question,” ranboo rambles, frowning and growing even more concerned when tommy’s head does not rise again. “tommy?” he shakes the boy’s shoulder gently and receives no response. “shit, he’s asleep again.” 

“tommy doesn’t seem very well,” ghostbur frowns, a petulant quality to his words, sprinkling an excessive amount of blue into his brother’s lap as if it could sap all of his fatigue away. “can’t we take him home with us, techno?”

techno seems to think it over for a second before nodding, pink eyes staring at ranboo warily as if he is waiting for the other hybrid to pounce. “you’re loyal to l’manburg,” he accuses, grip still clad around the hilt of his weapon. “give us tommy and go on your way. we’ll take care of him.”

ranboo laughs, a full-bodied thing, all sharp teeth and shining eyes. he’s well aware he hasn’t looked this feral in years and even techno, a boar himself with sharp tusks rising out of his mouth, seems slightly put off. “i’m not loyal to anyone but tommy. and no, i won’t let you take him, not when he probably doesn’t want to be left alone with someone he considers a traitor.”

techno winces and that’s when phil steps up, arms raised up in a placating gesture, ever the peacemaker. “would you mind coming with us then?” techno is about to speak out, clearly against letting the enemy into his base, but phil waves his hand dismissively, smiling even though everyone knows it's strained. “tommy trusts you. that’s good enough for me.”

ranboo stands, tommy secure in his grasp, and snorts when he sees the irritated look on techno’s face. “don’t worry, i have no intention of telling anyone where your base is,” ranboo tells him, shifting tommy around slightly so the boy is a little more comfortable, head lolling into the dip of ranboo’s neck. _but only if tommy is there,_ he adds for only himself to hear. he has no loyalty to this man and a little white lie will do no harm.

and so ranboo cradles tommy once again, as techno takes down the opposing wall, the cold winds already assualting them the minute they step back into the wilderness. techno and phil pull their cloaks tighter around their shoulders for protection and wilbur is luckily not affected by the cold. if it was any other situation, ranboo would be shivering uncontrollably right now, but his body burns with the need for tommy’s safety and he strides forward without any care for himself.

techno’s home is fairly large, a welcoming and quiet place for such a bloodthirsty man, a fire burning bright in the corner and filling the entire building with a secure kind of warmth. still, ranboo doesn’t let his guard down and he refuses to let anyone take tommy out of his arms, not even feeling a ounce of guilt at the forlorn look in phil’s eyes as the hybrid carefully lowers tommy into techno’s sole bed. when he brushes a hand through tommy’s hair, the boy nuzzles into his touch and ranboo smiles, softly, with too much affection.

“we can talk more tomorrow,” ranboo promises, trying to ignore how phil is beginning to look at him knowingly, already suspecting the extent of the feelings he holds for tommy. he’s not going to let himself be judged by an absentee father who made his son feel like a burden. “tommy needs his rest. i’ll watch over him for now.”

ranboo doesn’t sleep, not that he ever really needs to for too long. he’s got more important things to deal with. he checks tommy’s temperature every few hours, resting the back of his hand over the boy’s forehead, holding tommy’s own hand when the boy starts to mumble out in panic as the nightmares hit, keeping the other safe from what haunts him beneath the dark sky.

and when the sun rises over the nearby hills, hidden behind the storm of snow that will seemingly never end, ranboo climbs down to the ground floor, hair an untamed mess and his shirt crinkled, exhausted but also strangely aware of his surroundings. phil and techno are already waiting for him, neither seemingly have slept either, staring him down with tired eyes.

“whats wrong, ranboo?” ghostbur asks, elated tone back in place but sounding much faker this time, his eyes distant and his form flickering in and out of sight.

“you look down…” the ghost murmurs. ranboo isn’t down, per say, just incredibly nervous. he may have put on an act of false bravado to keep tommy safe but he’s actually terrified of technoblade and what he could do with the sword that is strapped to his side. not that he’ll tell anyone that, he has a reputation to uphold. “here, have some blue.”

“thanks, ghostbur.” ranboo says quickly, slipping the blue into his inventory alongside the two other stacks that had already built up from ghostbur constantly gifting it to everyone. the other doesn’t smile, just floats up through the floorboards, likely checking on his brother. and ranboo sighs, knowing this is when the integration begins.

“just before we get into the serious stuff, i want it to be known,” he manages to get the words out, somehow, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed across his chest in a stance that should hide how his hands are shaking. “that i actually am not the biggest fan of any of you. except maybe ghostbur. i don’t think anyone could hate ghostbur, he’s too wholesome.”

neither of the two in front of them respond and ranboo taps his foot, waiting for the inevitable questions to come his way. “tommy, he-” phil scrubs a hand over his face, looking much more lost than he had the night before. he doesn’t bother protesting ranboo’s ire. they both know he is right. “how long has he been that skinny?”

“three months,” ranboo answers shortly, staring at the artwork that litters the walls instead of glancing in their direction, knowing he’s already about to lose his temper. tommy had been exiled at the tail end of summer and it’s winter now, evident in how snow clings to the branches of the trees that surround l’manburg. it had only taken a month for the boy to truly crack and now three months later, he’s shattered almost beyond repair.

“dream would always destroy his stuff, so i had to give him food every time we met up.” he admits, shoulders tensing at the memories of tommy barely being able to stomach more than a few chunks of steak. “he would barely take a bite of any of it. said dream would get mad. but i couldn’t push him to do anything so i just had to watch him deteriorate while everyone in l’manburg went on with their lives as if they hadn’t thrown him away like trash.”

“what else did dream do to him?” techno asks, his monotone voice wobbling slightly, as if the actual emotions that exist behind his facade wants to break through. ranboo can’t help but stare at him strangely and techno responds with a raised eyebrow. “what?”

“honestly, i’m just surprised you even care.” ranboo shakes his head, before rambling through the main points of the never-ending abuse tommy had faced. he can’t cover everything. he doesn’t think he wants to, not when thinking of it all makes him want to throw up. “where do i even start? he’s the reason tommy was ever exiled, he’s the reason tommy looks like you could snap him if you touched him wrong. manipulated him, isolated him from all of his friends, made tommy unhealthily dependent on him for any kind of friendship, etcetera, etcetera.”

“but dream isn’t the only issue, is he?” phil questions, pulling his bucket hat down over his head so it covers up the glossy shine to his eyes at the news. they both ignore techno’s angered mumbles, something about _blood for the blood god._ honestly, ranboo doesn’t want to know what goes on in techno’s head.

“of course not.” ranboo smiles a slick smirk, the intense satisfaction of being able to finally voice his complaints breaking through his apprehension. “his family could have been there for him. his family could have saved him from all of this. but one brother is dead and the other mocks his trauma and then his father has a clear case of favoritism.” it’s not direct, but it is criticism, something he hopes they take to heart for the sake of the boy who still loves them unconditionally. but love and trust are very different things. 

“why did he reach out to you of all people?” techno asks, analytical eyes glaring up into ranboo’s own. ranboo can at least find some comfort in the fact that he still towers over the man, even if the other could beat his ass in a matter of seconds. “you said it yourself, you’re a pushover. could you even handle dream at all?”

“i’m a pushover when it comes to anything but tommy,” ranboo corrects him with an easy smile, hiding his irritation. “and if that bastard bothers going anywhere near tommy, then i’ll fucking rip his head off.” his tone is a lot more ecstatic at the prospect than it should be, ranboo finally cursing for once, and an uneasy silence settles over the cabin as both phil and techno stare at him as if they are seeing him in a brand new light.

because ranboo knows like this, utterly human in strength even with his black-and-white appearance, pointed ears, claws for fingernails and the ability to transport at will, he could do absolutely nothing to dream. but the minute dream approaches tommy, even breathes another manipulative sigh in his direction, then ranboo will snap and the monster he held back will rise to the surface, screeching and desperate for blood.

“who else would i have went to for help?” the three of them startle as tommy shakily swings off the ladder, landing on unsteady feet, ghostbur hovering uncertainly behind him with an shaky expression on his face. tommy meets techno’s gaze with his dull eyes, the dark circles still prominent despite his rest, and smiles, small and tight-lipped and nothing like what tommy is supposed to grin like. “ranboo is the only person i can trust anymore.”

his words cause phil to flinch and techno to stare at his brother, silent but still unnerved. tommy was willing to take residence with techno, but as a last resort. he can’t trust his family with anything now, not anymore, and the realisation that dawns over the room - that they lost their brother, their son, their friend all because of their own incompetence - is practically stifling.

tommy limps over the room, blatantly avoiding both his father and his brother without casting a single glance in their direction, and practically throws himself at ranboo, slinging his arms comfortably around the taller boy’s neck. ranboo ignores the awkwardness of lovingly embracing tommy in front of his possibly murderous anarchist of a relative and lets the anxiety sink out of him under tommy’s attention.

“thanks for coming for me, big man,” he murmurs into ranboo’s ear, grip so tight as if he never wants to pull back, but eventually he does, arms still clinging to ranboo’s shoulders. but ranboo doesn’t mind the loss of his closeness, not when tommy’s face lights up with a smile so bright ranboo could go blind, his sunny grin wiping away any sign of the battles he has fought tirelessly in. 

and it’s all for ranboo. ranboo and ranboo alone.

“i told you i’d always keep you safe, didn’t i?” ranboo murmurs in response, continuing to ignore the stares burning holes in the side of his smiling face, gazing down so fondly at tommy that a light shade of red begins to flush up from the curve of the smaller’s boy neck. but tommy doesn’t move from ranboo’s arms, doesn’t turn to greet his family, just buries himself back into ranboo’s chest and giggles. 

the blizzard outside rages on, but ranboo has never felt so warm.


	3. protective!ranboo au pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ranboo visits the antarctic empire during the christmas season, gives tommy a little too much affection and tries to ignore techno’s obvious glaring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's some hastily written christmasy fluff with a bit of hurt/comfort because it just turned the 25th here!! happy holidays :]

christmas is a strange time of year for ranboo, as a hybrid who spent his formative years surrounded by endermen rather than anyone who celebrates such a human tradition.

he would pass through towns on the server he grew up in sometimes, catching a glimpse of the rare tree covered from top to bottom in tinsel and baubles and dozens of small lanterns. ranboo was much younger then, much more inexperienced, and he did not understand the human’s language enough yet to ask for the tree’s purpose.

even now, he doesn’t quite understand it. gift-giving as a form of appreciation isn’t exactly new to him, not when he’s taken to showering tommy in random different things that aren’t too grandiose that the boy will automatically assume he is pitying him. a few ender pearls here, a couple of ingots there. 

generosity isn’t exactly in ranboo’s blood, not when he had been raised on the principle of hoarding every little thing for yourself for the sake of survival, but protectiveness is engraved into his very core. everything he shoves into tommy’s hesitant grasp is for the sake of keeping him alive and well, so when he had been pushed into l’manburg’s secret santa tradition, he had struggled to give niki something that wasn’t too practical.

at least the others seem to be enjoying themselves, for the most part. l’manburg is well into it’s festivities, as a giant tree has taken up residence in the town center and the lamps that stand guard over every street corner are painted green and red for the occasion. but there’s still something so off about the place, as if this is all a desperate attempt to save face. 

the nation has seemed so empty since tommy had been casted aside, something that had slowly dawned over most of the residents’ faces when they realised the once energetic boy was no longer waiting to distract them from their deep-rooted problems anymore. the amount of sunlight cast upon the streets had dimmed the minute tommy’s smile had been wiped away and perhaps that is why tubbo seems so down. 

“you okay, dude?” ranboo asks the smaller hybrid, slumped onto a wooden bench with his hair pushed back to expose his ram horns slightly more than usual. the expression of his face can be best described as longing, yearning for something, and it’s not hard to guess who he wants to see. “you don’t exactly look the best right now.”

“nothing’s wrong, ranboo. nothing at all,” he murmurs, faking a smile that doesn’t match how defeated his gaze is, so perfect and yet so false. ranboo stares down at tubbo, curled in on himself without his former best friend by his side, and feels much more sympathy than he had expected. sometimes it’s so blatant how exhausted tubbo is from being shoved into a position he wasn’t at all ready for.

“i’m sure tommy is fine, wherever he may be,” ranboo whispers in return and tubbo says nothing, just rubbing a palm over his tired eyes and staring up into the night sky, compass clenched tightly in his palm. ranboo could fix this particular problem right now, but he had sworn he wouldn’t under any circumstances reveal techno’s location, even if that was only for tommy’s safety. and so he keeps his mouth shut, makes excuses and vanishes from l’manburg the minute tubbo’s back is turned. 

the snowy land techno calls home is thankfully not in the midst of suffering from another blizzard, but ranboo still shivers at the biting cold, shoving his exposed hands into his pockets and scolding himself for not wearing a scarf for once. the sweater he is wearing has sleeves that are much too short, the ice beginning to crawl up his arm, and so he rushes up the steps to the cabin, knocking tentatively on the door.

it creaks open fairly quickly and ranboo finds himself face-to-face with sharp tusks and a permanent frown that always seems much deeper in ranboo’s presence. “oh, it’s you,” techno says, voice as monotone as ever, but his eyes shining with disappointment. ranboo isn’t quite sure who else he expected to show up, since ghostbur is their only other visitor and he: a) can walk through walls, and b) is so oblivious to social etiquette that he never remembers to ask before entering. 

“yep, it’s me,” ranboo mumbles, feeling slightly uncomfortable under the other’s scrutiny and much more uncomfortable by the freezing winds that assault his underdressed frame. an awkward silence passes for a few seconds and ranboo nervously adjusts the crown on the top of his head, avoiding techno’s gaze. “so, uh, am i allowed in or is this a bad time?”

the piglin hybrid never utters another word, stepping back reluctantly to let ranboo past but keeping a steady hand on the blade strapped to his hip as some sort of intimidation tactic. techno levels him with a glare that practically screams _‘if you even look at my little brother the wrong way, i will end you’,_ which ranboo thinks is pretty rich coming from the guy who apparently exploded fireworks directly into tommy’s face just over half a year ago. 

techno’s house had been somewhat homely, old-fashioned with enough room for a fireplace and comfortable seating, but it wasn’t exactly decorated for the holidays before tommy’s arrival. but now, it’s practically smothered by the random ornaments scattered on every available surface and ranboo finds phil smiling fondly at the sight of tommy stretching up on his tiptoes, putting the finishing touches on a christmas tree with a bunch of shoddily-made stars clearly fashioned from whatever free material tommy must have grabbed from techno’s storage.

tommy seems so free for once, fully rested with no evidence of the stress he has been constantly facing for months left behind on his skin, his lips curled into a soft and so fragile smile as he surveys his handiwork. ranboo hasn’t seen him so clear of hardships since the first day they met, the blonde nagging him for his height and his age with a glint of mischief in his bright blue eyes, and ranboo never wants to see him beaten and broken down ever again. oh, he’ll make sure that dream will pay for his crimes.

ranboo ignores techno’s indignant gaze, teleporting a step behind tommy as the boy tries to reach up to the very top of the tree to place an angel made from gold. it catches tommy off-guard when ranboo wraps his gangly arms around his middle, lifting tommy to balance his weight on one of his shoulders as he squeaks in surprise, arms flailing. “what the fuck-” tommy’s hands curl into ranboo’s hair, scrambling for purchase, and ranboo hisses when the boy’s nails accidentally scratch his scalp. “...ranboo?”

“hi,” ranboo smiles, catching tommy’s very confused gaze with a wink of his own. “you just need to reach the top, don’t you? i thought i’d give you a hand since you’re struggling so much.” 

“i was not struggling,” tommy huffs, arms crossed across his chest like a toddler throwing a tantrum and ranboo has to hold back a snort at the sight. somewhere across the line, he had forgotten just how childish tommy could be and it’s a welcome sight to witness when most of ranboo’s scattered memories feature never-ending tears and thick scars. “i’m not a child, i’m a big man. i can do this by myself so put me down, dickhead.”

ranboo tilts his head, pretending that he’s thinking tommy’s demand over in his head, weighing the pros and cons of messing around so much. in reality, he’s just waiting for tommy to grow even more petulant, not bothering to hide his smirk when phil edges closer with a twitching smile, practically laughing through his own words. “ranboo, please stop manhandling my son for your own safety. i don’t want to have to patch you up later.”

“no can do, mr minecraft,” he sing-songs, tightening his grip around tommy’s thin waist. “he just looked so helpless, i had to help him out, and i know he could barely do anything to hurt me, since he’s pretty much just an angry kitten who wants attention-” tommy shrieks in irritation, cutting ranboo off from mentioning any more of the things he hates being labeled as, and phil looks practically enthralled by the pitchy sound. ranboo wonders how long it has been since he has witnessed tommy so casually acting like his old self.

eventually, after some kinder and placating words (“listen tommy, i swear you’re the biggest man in the world, just please place the angel on the tree before i break my back”), tommy stops grumbling and finishes his job. ranboo sets him down on the ground, careful of how tommy still sometimes walks as if he’s a newborn fawn given how some of the breaks in his leg had never healed quite right, and tommy swings around to gather him into a proper hug.

tommy lets out a squeal when ranboo picks him again and spins him around gently, that braces-filled and gummy smile never leaving the younger’s face, even when his feet touch the ground again and they are no longer plastered together. “i missed you,” he whispers into ranboo’s ear, quiet enough for no one else to pick up on his words. _i missed you too,_ ranboo wants to say but can’t bring himself to, not when he catches techno glaring daggers at him and has to bite his tongue to hold back an obvious insult.

“it’s nice to see you, ranboo,” phil says, fiddling with two mugs filled to the brim with marshmallows. ranboo pulls back slightly from tommy to nod his way, but doesn’t detach himself from his friend and that seems to set off a chain reaction as phil’s fingers become more tense and techno growls beneath his breath. phil is thankfully more amicable than techno but not as blatantly friendly as ghostbur, but that doesn’t mean he is free of his own jealousy. his smile strains around the edges when he sees how tommy is clinging to ranboo’s shoulders in a tight hug the boy would not be seen giving any of his family now.

“it’s, uh, good to see you too, philza.” phil’s smile is awkward and tense but he is attempting to be polite and that’s something worth commending. he likes phil more than techno at least, for a long list of reasons ranboo would rather not get into, because the guy has a sword named orphan obliterator and ranboo’s parents are probably, maybe, dead. still, even if phil seems to be trying, ranboo is not going to misguidedly place his faith in anyone before they prove their worth. 

“here you go, tommy.” phil approaches the pair of them with the mugs and ranboo hastily removes his hands from tommy’s general area, nervous that the usually calm man may snap and ‘accidentally’ pour the hot drink on ranboo. it’s not likely, but he knows how violent phil can get out of nowhere, he saw what the father and son duo did to that nitwit villager. thankfully, he just slips a mug of hot chocolate carefully into tommy’s hands and places an identical one in front of ranboo, nodding his head to ranboo’s quick thanks before slinging a blanket over tommy’s shoulders for warmth.

tommy takes a quick sip and hums, a nostalgic smile gracing his features. “i’d always have this when i was younger,” he says, both characteristically and uncharacteristically sounding so quiet, so much like the boy who had deflated in exile but so opposing compared to the boy who stood tall in the shadow of war. “wilbur would always make it for me.” it feels strange, the realisation that he’s taking part in one of their family traditions right now, but when ranboo drinks a little himself, he cant help but smile, the taste reminding him of the chocolate treats he used to snatch from winter markets when no one was looking.

unfortunately, tommy’s fond words does not force the unpleasant atmosphere to dissipate and ranboo is on the verge at snapping at techno for his constant inspection when tommy exclaims all of a sudden. “oh! i just realised you haven’t seen my room yet. come on, it’s pog, you’ll love it.” the boy grabs ranboo’s hand, their fingers slotting together naturally as he drags him over to the ladders. when they are a couple of levels down, tommy sighs, dropping the blanket on his bed. “seriously, why can none of you stay in a room together without it becoming awkward?”

“sorry,” ranboo laughs, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck nervously, before properly stepping forward and scanning his eyes over the space. tommy’s new room is massive, a stone bunker hidden beneath a room filled with villagers stuck behind wooden planks and ranboo definitely doesn’t want to think about why they were there. “you live beneath technoblade’s floorboards now?”

tommy shrugs, feigning nonchalance even though the question sparks up some kind of uneasy emotion in his eyes. “wasn’t exactly any room for me upstairs and…” he trails off, tapping his fingers against his thigh in a nervous habit. “they said i’d probably be safer out of sight in case _he_ shows up.” ranboo’s hands instinctively curl into fists at the reminder of that man’s existence, sharp nails cutting though his palms as ranboo pays no mind to how he might be dripping blood onto tommy’s floor. 

taking a deep breath, he focuses his attention on the room around him instead. across one of the walls is a picture board, covered with a few photographs, tommy’s prized _your tubbo_ compass hanging across the corner. ranboo peers at the first, a polaroid slightly singed around the edges. wilbur looks very different in it, eyes bright with ambition, skin healthy and not at all grey, clad in a military-esque uniform with a starry-eyed tommy by his side. it’s evidence alone of what tommy has gone through and he can’t help but wince. 

ranboo is surprised by the sight of himself on the next picture along, his towering body awkwardly pulled to tommy’s level by a casual arm slung around his shoulders, but there’s a pleased edge to the eyes that stray over to the smiling boy beside his side. it’s a nice picture, a soft one that speaks of the quick affection between them that began the minute they had met, and ranboo can’t help but yearn to be back in that spot again, back when the word exile wasn’t at the forefront of tommy’s mind. 

“i didn’t have a lot to put up,” tommy whispers, moving to stand beside ranboo and resting his head against the hybrid’s shoulder. ranboo bends down, pressing his nose into blonde strands, an attempt at comfort for the pair of them that eases the tension in tommy’s restless limbs. “we lost a lot of it after schlatt won the election and then i had to leave most of the rest behind when i was exiled again.”

“then let’s make new memories together,” ranboo murmurs, brushing the hair off of tommy’s forehead and pressing a kiss on the scarred skin. he is very much aware that it isn’t the same, that he isn’t a replacement for a dead brother and a lost best friend, but he wants to be there for tommy to help guide him back into the light. “i can come over more, take you to new places, help you gain your footing again.”

tommy shifts nervously on his feet, fidgeting even under the gentle press of ranboo’s hand over the small of his back. “you already come to visit me so much,” tommy says, voice soft and barely audible, even in the silence of this underground space where no one can disturb them. “i didn’t want to burden you by asking for more,” he admits, biting his lip anxiously, nudging more into ranboo’s side as if he could hide away from any scrutiny there.

“tommy, you’re never a bother or a nuisance or whatever else you’re calling yourself up here,” ranboo scolds, poking the boy gently on his forehead. “i’d much rather be with you than back in l’manburg.” he’s not at all surprised when tommy wraps his arms weakly around ranboo’s chest and rests his head over his heart, just tugs him even closer till their legs are entwined and they can barely tell where a blonde boy begins and a black-and-white boy ends.

“i just remembered,” ranboo reluctantly separates the two of them, trying to not cave into the touch-starved whine that leaves tommy’s lips involuntarily. he digs around in his inventory before pulling out another christmas-themed sweater. it’s ugly, really, knitted carelessly with a misshapen enderman wearing a santa’s hat on the front of it. it was one of the many gifted to him by l’manburg’s residents who had found out he never really had experienced a proper christmas before. and while he doesn’t like the thing himself, the idea of tiny little tommy drowning in the fabric is too good to pass up on. “here. it’s for you.”

tommy takes the purple sweater into his hands and raises an eyebrow when he holds it out in front of him. “an enderman? are you trying to mark me as your property or something?” he asks, looking entirely unimpressed even when he starts to pull the woolen fabric over his head, messing up his golden curls even further.

“yes,” ranboo replies shamelessly, grinning when tommy lets out a loud laugh. “but i also figured you wouldn’t have anything festive lying around, so i wanted to give you it. as a gift, i guess.” tommy finally slips his head through the hole, hair messy and dishevelled, and ranboo tries not to seem too fond at how the sleeves fall far past tommy’s finger tips. “and now we match!” ranboo point to the obnoxiously green sweater quackity had forced him in that morning that looks so wrong next to his otherwise formal clothing.

“yeah, we do,” tommy mutters, his voice suddenly very small as he casts his gaze down at the material that practically engulfs him whole. before ranboo can even utter a single word to ask him what’s wrong, tommy pinches the tip of ranboo’s pointed ear and drags him down to his height, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. and ranboo’s brain malfunctions, because tommy will willingly instigate touches whenever possible but it’s only ever hand-holding and hugs and now he’s just kissed him. tommy just kissed ranboo. and even if it was only on his cheek, the thought makes him ridiculously giddy.

“don’t say anything,” tommy warns, letting go out ranboo to hide his flushed face behind the oversized arm of his sweater. “it’s just a thank you for… everything. not just the jumper. but just a thank you! nothing more, nothing less.” his voice is trembling, wavering, trying not to break in embarrassment, and ranboo didn’t know it was possible to wholeheartedly love someone this much.

“i wasn’t going to say anything…” ranboo tries to defend himself, but his mind is spiralling without his control and the words come out before he realises it’s probably an idiotic decision to speak them. “wow, your lips are surprisingly soft.”

in retaliation, tommy slams his sneaker-covered toe into ranboo’s shin and he pretends it hurts for the sake of the boy’s pride, even though tommy still has barely any strength in his skinny limbs. “you- you’ve-“ he cuts himself off, making a strangled noise of embarrassment as he covers his ears to hide how red they’ve gotten. “you made it weird, dickhead. i hate you. i hate you so much..”

“uh huh. sure you do,” ranboo smiles, reaching over to ruffle the boy’s hair just to irritate tommy. he takes the sleeve away from his face, glaring up in agitation, and ranboo takes the chance to sneak in another kiss against his forehead, watching the blood rush up to tommy’s face all over again. but still, even like this, another thought pops into his head. “should we head up now? i don’t want your very overprotective brother to assume i’m doing something inappropriate and stab me before i can explain myself.”

tommy rolls his eyes, but doesn’t bother saying it would never happen, mostly because both of them know how unpredictable tecnoblade can be. they climb the ladder back up and find the main room absent of phil this time, the man probably having taken the chance to run a few errands while his youngest son is preoccupied. techno looks up from the book he is reading, glasses sliding down his nose as he stares at tommy’s sweater disdainfully. “what is that?”

“are you blind, bitch?” tommy asks, going to the hooks that hang just beside the door that leads to the outside world. he grabs a scarf for ranboo, purely black with a white trim, and then one for himself, the same shade of red as his usual t-shirt. tommy begins wrapping the scarf around ranboo’s neck as if he has done this hundreds of times before, the casual care heart-warming. “it’s obviously a christmas jumper.”

“with an enderman on it,” techno deadpans, not so subtly glaring at ranboo as tommy’s touch lingers beneath the hybrid’s jaw. ranboo smiles innocently, even though his vibrant eyes provide a glowing challenge, refusing to tear his gaze from techno’s even though his deeply repressed enderman instincts aren’t too happy about it. 

“it was mine,” ranboo adds, totally attempting to be helpful and not at all rubbing it in techno’s face that tommy is far closer to a random mob-hybrid he had essentially discovered on the side of the road instead of the family he had spent years growing up beside. “but i decided to give it to tommy seeing as his family didn't seem to prepare at all for him being here for the holidays. oh. i wonder why that is? maybe it’s because they’re all neglectful assholes-”

“don’t try and provoke him,” tommy hisses beneath his breath, flinching when techno’s chair scrapes against the floorboards and the boar flees the room to the upper part of the house, nostrils flaring as he takes large breaths to calm himself. tommy just sighs, tugging at ranboo’s sleeve as leads him to the door. “do you have a death wish? he’s the blade, he could kill you with just a wooden pickaxe and you keep trying to pick a fight with him.”

“well, he deserves it,” ranboo grumbles. “and he’s not going to try and fight me,” ranboo says, ignoring tommy’s expression of amusement when he doesn’t sound all that convinced himself. “at least i don’t think he will? i mean, killing me would make you sad and it at least seems as if he’s trying to avoid murdering any of your friends this time.”

tommy pushes open the door, exposing the warm interior of the cabin to a winter chill that a flimsy sweater can’t protect either of them from. ranboo watches tommy’s nose go a tad red before he presses it down into his scarf to keep himself warm and he tries not to coo. “just try to get along with them? for me?” baby blues peer up into mismatched eyes and ranboo can’t resists caving to tommy’s pleads when he looks like this. he can never say no to tommy, if he’s being truthful with himself. 

ranboo opens his mouth to half-heartedly protest even though tommy already has him snared in, but tommy cuts him off, waving his hand impatiently. “nope, no more serious talk. me and you are going to go outside and play in the snow and pretend we’re kids again, okay?”

“i thought you hated being seen as a kid?” ranboo comments and tommy hits him on the arm this time. “ow, okay, i’m coming, i’m coming.”

as ranboo stands by tommy’s side as the snow blankets them both - making snowmen and snow angels, throwing snowballs at each other’s heads and laughing till their lungs ache, catching a glimpse of techno watching them through the upstairs window who stares fondly at his brother in a way the blonde boy had sorely missed, phil arriving back to two severely freezing boys and sighing in fatherly disappointment as the two of them huddle by the fire with their hands intertwined - he wishes that tommy could be happy like this forever more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some general notes for the protective!ranboo au:
> 
> this takes place before the butcher’s army is formed. whether or not that’ll come into play if i write more of this au isn’t decided yet. 
> 
> ranboo’s loyalty is hard to earn. he’ll willingly be in your debt if you do him a favour, but he won’t stick around once he has done his duty. l’manburg gave him a place to stay and so in return he stands by as a citizen to help out, but he isn’t loyal to l’manburg and won’t follow them blindly. he keeps a list of what he owes in his memory book and ticks each point off when he’s repaid his debt. the only person who has his full loyalty is tommy.
> 
> after randomly disappearing in front of tubbo to deal with an emergency, ranboo realises he’s going to have to make excuses. he starts off by saying that his cat was under threat from one of the pet killers in the dreamsmp, but as time goes on and he keeps randomly teleporting, the excuses become more and more elaborate until everyone just thinks he’s trying to fuck with them.
> 
> ranboo’s grudge against tubbo is actually pretty small. the rational part of ranboo’s brain recognises that tubbo, who is much too young to be a president, was backed into a corner by a higher power. of course, the not-so-rational side is a bit pissed off, but he’s still friends with tubbo. he can also excuse ghostbur a fair bit, mainly because he’s a dead guy who doesn’t seem to know what’s happening 99% of the time.
> 
> techno and phil, on the other hand? oh, ranboo does not like them very much. he makes it very clear and enjoys being extra cuddly with tommy when they are nearby just to see techno grow more and more pissed off. overprotective bf vs overprotective brother as phil referees.
> 
> but the thing is, tommy and ranboo aren’t actually together yet. pretty much anyone who sees them around each other for more than five seconds immediately assumes they are dating, but they actually haven’t confessed to each other yet. they just naturally fell into acting like a couple.


	4. requests page

while i do have some fics planned right now, i’d also like to take some requests as well!!

just leave anything you want to see in the comments you can leave as many prompts as you want, i just ask that they are only sfw and don’t include any sexual content

thanks <3


	5. relationship reveal: christmas edition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tommy gets reunited with ranboo (his boyfriend) for christmas and people are very confused on why they kissed.
> 
> prompt from: very_bad_person_123

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year! thank you to everyone who has given me prompts so far!! they’re all very cute and i can’t wait to get around to writing them. my requests page will always be open if you want to go leave any more :)
> 
> i realised after writing this that it might not be exactly what the prompter was looking for, but i hope it’s still an enjoyable read nonetheless!

l’manburg is so pretty underneath the night sky, lanterns hanging low and filling the center of town with a soft glow. and yet, somehow, despite it all, tommy feels sick standing on top of its sickly sweet surface. 

they had received the invitations to this event from dream, the only one willing to visit the far out cabin, who had shown up on techno’s doorstep with a fake smile on his lips, not at all discreet in his staring at tommy who couldn’t stop trembling in his father’s grasp. techno had slammed the door in his face, but none of them could avoid the obligation to show up, if only to make the antarctic empire seem a little more friendly than before.

perhaps, in the past, when tommy would have helped craft those invitations himself, hand-picking decorations for the festival and assisting tubbo in adorning the christmas tree with baubles, he would have felt a bit of excitement. maybe, just a few weeks into his exile, he would have yearned to be in this spot. but now tommy has no fondness left for l’manburg, not when he knows the bitter truth of what lies in this nation, not when a peace treaty for a single day feels like a cop-out.

ghostbur and phil had both delved into the crowd with ease. ghostbur’s loyalty to the antarctic empire is just loyalty to his family, not particularly their ideals, and so it’s easy for others to ignore the ghost’s affiliation when he barely ever comments on it himself. it also helps that his brother is oblivious enough that pretty much anyone can manage a casual conversation with him. phil is amicable, despite his reputation as a survivalist, and knows just how to smile to get others to let their guard down.

opposingly, techno and tommy have glued themselves to the outskirts, leaning against the fencing that protects anyone from tumbling into the crater that lies beneath. techno’s blank expression does nothing to hide the fire burning in his eyes and its enough to scare off anyone from interacting with him, apart from quackity’s irritated glares in his direction. and tommy-

well, tommy really doesn’t like the idea of talking to anyone here, even though so many people have attempted to approach him in the last ten minutes and were only warded off by techno’s snarl whenever they got too close. once upon a time, under better circumstances, tommy would have already begun running around the place, half-heartedly irritating everyone with his cheerful nature. but tommy’s quieter now, not because of his own growth but because of the deterioration enforced by dream, and he has no want to push himself into speaking with those who have essentially become strangers to him.

loyalty is not easily earned. tommy can count on both hands just how many people visited him, eight in total, but only a few decided to actually stick around and earn tommy’s trust. but not tubbo, it was never tubbo who arrived on logsteadshire’s shore and kept tommy just a little bit sane. no, it was just one person outside of his family who actually stuck by his side throughout it all, despite how short of a time they had actually known each other. 

ranboo, tommy’s metaphorical safety net, the one tommy can trust to always catch him if he falls, happens to be running late at the worst time, when all tommy wants to do is return home and curl up in the hybrid’s arms by the fireplace. without him there to keep tommy steady, a shiver runs up the boy’s spine, senses working on the double to keep him aware of any incoming danger.

technically, the christmas peace treaty means tommy _should_ be safe. but should isn’t definite and tommy can feel himself shaking under dream’s heavy gaze, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights as the man stares at him from a distance. tommy ducks under techno’s arm, huddling himself in the velvet of his cloak, and his brother looks down at him with blatant confusion, raising an eyebrow at the younger’s uncharacteristic behaviour.

but then he follows tommy’s gaze, through the sea of people before them and right to the edge where a white mask stands out. the growl techno lets out is quiet enough that no one takes it as a challenge, but tommy still pinches techno’s arm in warning. even if dream looks as if he is ready to snatch up tommy the minute he is out of public view, techno can’t afford to start bashing his head in. techno can afford to take the butcher’s army head on, but tommy is still healing and phil’s wings have been worse for wear even since he escaped house arrest. 

tommy hears ranboo before he sees him, the tell-tale noise of an enderman teleporting fizzling in the air before the other boy appears just a few feet away. and ranboo looks… good. his black and white hair is slicked back, pointy ears more prominent than ever, soft smile smoothing out the stress that had plagued him ever since he got roped into helping the cabinet this event. 

he had replaced his red tie for a christmas-themed one weeks ago, as apparently most of the other residents had swapped their normal clothing for festive jumpers and he had felt rather left out despite his lack of attachment to the holiday. it’s almost garishly bright but it suits ranboo in his own awkwardly enthralling way, the special kind of charm that had attracted tommy to him in the first place.

techno lifts his cloak back up before tommy can even get the words out, nodding his head in ranboo’s direction as a greeting. it’s not often that techno acknowledges anyone except his immediate family, but tommy is glad that he is at least trying with ranboo, giving the hybrid a shot instead of immediately scaring him away from ever laying a hand on his younger brother. 

tommy rushes forward, eager to gather the other in a hug despite the amount of people surrounding them who would be unused to seeing him so soft and affectionate. but he realises last minute that no one here should probably be let in on just how close the two have become and that throwing himself into ranboo’s arms might be a bit suspicious. he slows to a stop, crossing his arms over his chest and faking a frown even as his eyes shine bright. “you’re late, you know.” 

“hey, toms,” ranboo rubs the back of his neck nervously, sweating under techno’s almost judgemental gaze that dares him to make any excuses. “sorry for being late, i just had a couple of things to finish off before- why is everyone staring at us?”

tommy blinks at ranboo’s self-interruption, knowing just how uncomfortable the hybrid can get when he’s forced into the spotlight randomly. he glances over at the crowd and finds them all looking at a spot hovering over the pair and directs his eyes upwards - _oh_. there’s mistletoe hanging above their heads, the plant highlighted only by the red bow that ties it to the side of one of the market stalls. “who even put that there?” tommy complains, even as his cheeks flare up red. he bites back the expected threat of murder, trying to place nice for at least one night.

“you don’t have to do it tommy,” eret says, ever the gentleman, their voice soft. “it’s just a silly tradition.” and it is. it’s a stupid thing that tommy has never understood the need for. he’d always refuse to press his lips against his family’s foreheads when they were hung up in his hometown, screeching in embarrassment whenever wilbur tried to trap him and peck him on the cheek. physical affection was never really tommy’s style before a certain someone showed up and he refuses to-

“oh, come on. don’t be a coward, tommy,” ranboo smiles, his sharp teeth showing, suddenly a lot more focused on the blushing boy that stands before him than the eyes that are stabbing into his skin. and that ignites something deep inside him, because why should tommy even care what these people think? he’s changed now, for the better he thinks, because yes he’s a little more skittish and easily caught off guard, but he is no longer embarrassed by searching for affection.

and so tommy curls his fingers around ranboo’s tie, grip tight even though his hands are shaking and have been since he stepped foot in l’manburg, and yanks the much taller hybrid down, their lips meeting softly despite the aggressive way tommy clings to ranboo, free hand curled around the other’s back.

several loud gasps fill his ears. they probably think he’s caving to some kind of challenge, that ranboo’s teasing words sparked his fighting spirit . but intimacy has always been off-limits, the one thing he won’t allow himself to be dragged into even for the sake of his pride. it’s simple, really. he’s kissing ranboo because he wants to.

he’s kissing ranboo because he wants to, just like when he kissed ranboo when they were curled up together on a blanket watching the waves lap at the sand and ranboo stared at him with such confusion that tommy thought he had fucked up their friendship irreparably forever. that was until ranboo proceeded to push tommy down onto his back and kiss him till his lungs were aching for air and tommy finally was able to forget everything for just a little while.

tommy can feel the smug smile against his own lips and in retaliation digs his teeth down into soft flesh, smirking in victory when ranboo pulls back with a hiss. “why are you always so bitey?” ranboo complains, rubbing his hand over where tommy can see the imprints of his canines. “are you really sure you’re not a raccoon hybrid? i mean, i wouldn’t judge you if you were, i just don’t know how i’d feel about dating a furry-“

“who are you calling a raccoon, dickhead!” tommy blurts out, glaring up into the other’s eyes and huffing when all he finds there is blatant mischief. “and you signed up for this the minute we started going out so don’t blame me, blame yourself.”

ranboo lets out an exaggerated sigh, peering over tommy’s shoulder to meet techno’s entertained eyes. “techno, can i return tommy? i think he’s defective.”

“no, please keep him. he’s all yours now.” despite the possible ill intent tommy might have found in those words months ago when he was still convinced techno hated him, the corner of his brother’s mouth is twitching as if he is holding back a smile and tommy can only find himself smiling giddily too. 

a strangled noise from the crowd makes tommy’s confidence falter as he turns to see tubbo, staring at ranboo’s hands resting over tommy’s hips with such blatant confusion twisting his features that tommy almost bursts out laughing. even dream seems speechless, likely because he had never put a stop to ranboo’s constant visits, assuming the hybrid was a non-threat to his plans. tommy shrinks back under the attention, humming contently when ranboo reaches out and pulls him into his chest. 

“could you all please stop gawking at my brother? i know he has bad taste in men but there’s no reason to make him feel insecure about it,” techno sounds too amused for his own good and tommy rolls his eyes, faking nonchalance even as he sinks further into ranboo’s embrace, as of the hybrid could hide him away from the world and all the judgement that is yet to come.

“what.” dream says, voice flat, likely angered expression hidden behind his forever smiling mask. the man had assumed that family was the biggest obstacle in his way. but first and foremost has always been ranboo, who visited tommy from day one of his exile and kept him smiling even as his light faded beyond recognition. 

“oh, no one else knew?” ghostbur asks, airy voice far too laid-back for the occasion. phil is by his side, seeming to be desperately holding back laughter. “i thought it was obvious.”

“obvious? how would this have been obvious?” quackity asks, waving his arms around.

“if any of you had bothered to come with me to check on tommy, then you would have known how close we are. it’s that simple,” ranboo shrugs, his once kind smile now a little more feral as he stares out at the citizens of the dreamsmp, likely holding back the urge to scold them for their lack of action.

“tommy, you-“ tubbo seems lost, glancing between the two of them rapidly with uncertainty clouding his gaze. perhaps his once best friend assumes that ranboo is a replacement for everything tommy has lost. but ranboo could never be anything as insulting as just a simple replacement, not to tommy, not when ranboo dropped everything to keep him safe against all odds.

“you do know that dating someone on the side of our enemies is grounds for treason, ranboo?” fundy says, although he seems hesitant to offer any judgement on the matter. tommy finds it a bit funny that he stood by the (failed) execution of his uncle, but gets uncomfortable over the possibility of pressing charges against someone he’s only known for a short while.

“well, it’s a good thing that i’ve already started moving out of l’manburg then,” ranboo smiles and tommy freezes in his grasp. “the antarctic empire’s quite nice actually. the cold’s hard to deal with, but at least they don’t exile their most loyal citizens over nothing”. the rational part of tommy’s brain tells him that minor arson isn’t exactly nothing, but the bigger part yells in anticipation. 

“huh? you’re coming with us?” tommy tries to veil the excitement that likely fills his voice, looking over at techno for confirmation, who is watching with fondness in his gaze solely directed to his little brother. tommy’s face lights up when techno nods, grinning up at ranboo wide enough to show the braces that line his teeth.

“of course. i’d follow you anywhere, you know that.” ranboo taps his finger against the tip of tommy’s nose, smile growing even fonder when tommy’s face scrunches up. “that’s why i was late actually. i had to finish putting stuff in my ender chest, but i’m good to go now. but if l’manburg could, uh, hold off on trying to execute me until tomorrow, that would be appreciated. christmas peace treaty, remember?”

“you’re abandoning this whole place just for him?” tubbo asks. it’s not accusatory, it’s just a whisper, a wistful one, as if the notion is a fantasy that tubbo wishes he could partake in as well. but it’s too late for that now, too late for regrets, too late for wanting to improve what is already broken beyond repair. 

“of course,” ranboo says matter-of-factly. “i’d do anything for tommy.” and it’s something about that sentence that makes everyone falter, looking upon the pair huddled together as if they had never seen them before. tommy isn’t sure what he finds in their gaze, but he thinks it might be guilt.

ghostbur must catch the concerned look in tommy’s eyes because he floats over his jukebox stand and starts playing a festive tune. when everyone turns his way, he smiles, a broad and clueless thing even as he not-so-discreetly winks in tommy’s direction. “come on everyone, it’s christmas! we can worry about war crimes later, can’t we?”

the crowd splits at the distraction, but their eyes still linger, blanketing tommy in a heavy sense of worry for what’s to come. but he squeaks when ranboo drags him into the fray, head knocking against the taller’s collarbone, ranboo’s hands pressed against the dip in his back. “ran, what are you-“

“ignore them. just keep your eyes on me,” ranboo murmurs into his ear and when he tommy nudges back a little to look up, he finds that the shine of multi-coloured lanterns illuminates the unnatural glow of green and red eyes. tommy couldn’t tear his eyes away even if he tried and he melts into ranboo’s embrace, pressing his nose against the other’s neck, closing his eyes and relaxing just a little bit. 

despite everything, ranboo makes him feel safe and that is more than tommy could ever ask for.


	6. bamf!tommy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ranboo gets executed and tommy is not very happy with l'manburg. dream just happens to get caught in the crossfire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not a request, sorry about that! i’m a couple of streams behind right now but i’ve been pleading for tommy to just go feral already, so here's a short drabble! this isn't canon compliant as far as i’m aware, but it is based on what i’ve heard about canon over on twitter (with ranboo being the traitor?? maybe?).

blood pounds through tommy’s ears, his heartbeat working at a rapid pace as he stares down at the mess that coats l’manburg’s soil.

ranboo is dead. he’ll respawn, of course he will, but he’s still there, crumpled on the ground and no longer breathing, mouth melted into a silent scream, blood leaking through his suit jacket, his skin sinking off his bones from the bucket of water that had been unceremoniously tossed over his head. 

something in tommy burns and he stands there, eyes wide and lost, pupils shaking, gaze locked on the corpse of the one he trusts above all else. ranboo is dead and l’manburg executed him and the slowly building resentment rises up in a surge of vengeance. 

“tommy-” techno’s voice is insistent but tommy cannot tear his eyes away, even as his brother yanks at his arm. “tommy, we’ve got to-”

“you killed him.” the words fall out in a whisper but they silence the crowd that surrounds the crime scene. because tommy can talk quietly even if his normal volume is several notches higher than most, but they’ve never heard him like this, sharp and cutthroat and cold in his fury.

“he was a traitor, tommy. what else did you expect me to do?” there’s a snarl on quackity’s lips and for a second, there is a ram in his place, schlatt’s trademark smirk twisting quackity’s features into something ugly and grotesque. 

“you killed him, you killed ranboo.” l’manburg has already taken so much from him and now they’ve stolen one of the lives of the one person who cared consistently when tommy was at rock bottom, the one person who ever bothered showing up on logsteadshire’s shore, the one person tommy can truly bring himself to actually love anymore.

“how fucking _dare_ you.”

tommy has never had perfect aim. he’s never been the watson family’s best fighter. but he’s fuelled by vicious anger and his skills had always been hidden behind the reckless attitude of a teenager. tommy isn’t a child anymore, he’s become a soldier who has bathed in the blood of warriors and innocents alike, and the axe disappears from his hand and lodges itself into quackity’s cranium before anyone can even blink.

quackity will respawn too, but he’ll have a splitting migraine for the next few months just as ranboo will constantly feel as if his skin is melting off. it’s a fair trade, tommy thinks as he wrenches the blade out of the bloody mess that is quackity’s head and turns to glare at the crowd that did nothing to prevent this act of injustice. 

“now, now, tommy, let’s not be so hasty,” dream emerges from the shadows, hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket as if no one here could ever pose a threat. he is so annoyingly nonchalant that tommy could almost growl, but the confidence vanishes the minute he catches the glint of a predator in tommy’s eyes. 

“oh, dream~” tommy sing-songs, lips spread into a devious smile that sends everyone sprawling away from his range, a sword replacing the axe in his grasp. “it seems my prey has finally arrived.”

dream is no stranger to being hunted, but he’s likely not so used to being bested. the shattered remains of his mask are scattered around him, unfamiliar face pulled into an expression of shock, the open wound on his chest pouring blood.

tommy averts his eyes, stepping towards his shell-shocked brother and grinning once more, face lighting up like the sun even when his skin is splattered with red. 

“come on, techno. i’ve got a panic room to find."


	7. tommy, come down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> !! tw: suicide attempt !!
> 
> when ranboo finds tommy in the nether, he realises he's forgotten something truly important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would recommend not reading dreamsmp spoilers while listening to achilles come down as it has only caused me pain.
> 
> i’m working on a fluffy prompt right now but i've not been feeling the best this past week, so i needed to vent somehow. this was very quickly written so i hope it isn't absolutely terrible :)

there’s a bridge in the nether that ranboo always finds himself drawn to.

he’s not sure why. it’s a shoddily made thing, mainly obsidian with random clusters of cobblestone. he doesn’t know where it leads, even though there’s something nagging at the back of his head telling him he should. ranboo’s memory hasn’t been the same since someone tampered with one of his books and so it’s a shock when he finds tommy there.

the boy is standing at the edge, still wearing the same ash-stained t-shirt he was clad in for doomsday. golden hair is clotted with dried blood and there’s numerous bruises visible over the curve of his cheek, leading all the way down his skinny arm. tommy has seen better days and ranboo, clad in a cloak the colours of the antarctic empire, feels far too overdressed.

he steps forward carefully, unsure of how to truly act around the other. his memories of tommy are scarce to say the least, just flashes of a bright smile standing in front of a house aflame, and ranboo hadn’t felt much guilt at first for scribbling his name out of his list of friends. but the guilt is rising now, in a violent crescendo, and he barely has any time to scream before he realises what tommy is doing.

a foot steps over the edge and tommy falls, tommy _jumps,_ and ranboo doesn’t even bother to think before he’s recklessly throwing himself off the ledge too. tommy’s eyes are shut closed in an act of peace but they wrench open when ranboo’s long fingers grab his wrist, muted blue filled with shock as purple particles surround the pair and they are crashing back onto the bridge.

there’s a moment of unsettled silence. tommy’s arm trembles in ranboo’s grasp and eyes that should be filled with vibrance are so, so defeated and ranboo drags the other closer, shaking himself even if he doesn’t know why there’s so a feeling of protectiveness making bile rise up his throat. “why?” tommy murmurs, voice cracking as he tries to escape ranboo’s grip. “why are you-”

“no.” ranboo mutters simply, brain working on overdrive to try and figure out what the hell is even going on. he just witnessed tommy, the brave and heroic protagonist of the books that detailed l’manburg’s history, try and kill himself. tommy was going to die. the shaking refuses to vanish. “you can’t, tommy, you can’t just leave me-”

tommy flinches, trying to back out of ranboo’s grasp in a desperate attempt to get closer to the edge once more and ranboo sees red. “no, no, let go of me-” tommy uselessly whimpers, his voice too hoarse to properly screech. he kicks out at ranboo’s ankles, but no strength is present in his weak attempts at violence and he can barely resist when ranboo drags him forward so his neck slots into the curve of his neck. 

tommy doesn’t stop lashing out, hitting his fists against ranboo’s chest as the tears start to leak from the corners of his eyes. “why won’t anyone fucking let me go already?” he sobs out through heaving breaths and a lost memory flashes before ranboo’s eyes. overgrown blonde hair caught in the wind, dripping water down a sun-kissed neck, his own hands burnt beyond recognition from diving into the waves to stop the boy from being carried away, bruises beneath hollow eyes that pleaded for ranboo to just let him be swallowed up by the sea.

ranboo doesn’t remember. he does and then he doesn’t and then he does all over again. he thinks of the memory book and the pages that must have been ripped out, censored, by a third party. he thinks of tommy, selfless tommy who was so willing to take all of the blame, the boy who was willing to be sent into exile for a crime they had both committed, the one ranboo had fallen in love with without even realising.

“i couldn’t remember. why couldn’t i remember?” ranboo’s hands shake from where they are holding tommy in a vice-like grip. he thinks of tommy, sand in his hair and scraped knees visible through the slits in his jeans as he turns and casts a small smile when ranboo tumbles through the portal into logsteadshire. he thinks of everything he has forgotten and mourns for the lost time.

“of course you didn’t. everyone always forgets me in the end. i’m so sick of being tired, ran. i’m so sick of being let down, sick of being tossed aside and betrayed by my own fucking family-“ an unnatural noise crawls up ranboo’s throat at the words, the enderman side of him that he has always attempted to years to lock away rushing to the surface, because tommy is hurt, he’s suffering and ranboo-

ranboo did nothing. he left, he ran off, he abandoned tommy after promising to be his friend and stuck beside the same family that had torn down everything tommy had sold his soul for. “i just wanted a home, i just wanted something of wilbur’s to be left behind, and now it’s a fucking crater again.” tommy rambles, still half-heartedly pushing at ranboo’s chest.

“and why do you care? why are you even bothering to try and stop me?” tommy tries to yell, his voice cracking from overuse, but he just sinks further into ranboo’s embrace, sobbing over the warmth he musn’t have felt in weeks. “you fucking left me too. no one ever sticks around and i thought you were different but you weren’t-“

something drips down ranboo’s face and faintly he realises he’s crying. crying isn’t an easy task for an enderman hybrid, not when water has an adverse reaction to their skin, and ranboo has held back his emotions for years. the tears leave tracks of burnt flesh in their wake but he doesn’t bother blinking any of them back.

“i shouldn’t be taking this out on you,” tommy says suddenly, eyes wide, his fingers reaching up to dig into his scalp. “you shouldn’t have to deal with my bullshit, i’m sorry, ran, i’m so fucking sorry-“ and the apologies never stop pouring from tommy’s mouth and somehow this is worse than watching the boy deteriorate in exile. “im so tired. i- i just want the pain to stop.”

they are both just kids. they deserve better then this. and so ranboo does not think before he’s whispering rambled reassurances into his temple, rocking him back and forth to try and soothe away the crying noises that rumble deep out of his chest. tommy slumps into him, exhausted and touch-starved, and ranboo promises that he’ll not let this one slip through his fingers once again.

and ranboo carries tommy back, through the nether portal and into the crumbled remains of l’manburg. the front of what had once been tommy’s home has been hastily repaired with blocks of dirt. it’s a sad sight for sore eyes, but ranboo still slips off his shoes when he’s inside, not wanting to track any dirt. he climbs over the shattered glass that tommy had yet to clean up and carefully holds the boy in his arms as he goes down the stairs, making sure not to jostle him out of slumber.

the blackstone bunker does not seem to be the most comfortable. but there’s a quickly crafted bed in the corner that has seen better days. it’s probably not enough to hold both his and tommy’s combined weight but it will have to do for now, ranboo thinks as he lowers tommy into the sheets and watches as he curls up into a ball, wincing even in his sleep.

ranboo fires off a quick message on his communicator, sure of what he now must do.

[ranboo: i’m not coming back]

[ranboo: not for now at least]

[phil: did something happen? me and techno can come if you need help]

ranboo erases message after message, trying to convey in gentler terms that tommy, phil’s son, just tried to kill himself. but why should he be soft? phil took him in and gave him a place to stay but abandoned his son at the exact same time. ranboo is a kid, he needs a home but-

tommy deserves one as well. tommy deserves a father who will actually give a damn about his safety. tommy deserves to not be blamed for the mistakes of the adults that should be taking the lead here.

[ranboo: tommy tried to jump in the nether]

[ranboo: please don’t try to find him]

[ranboo: he’s gone though enough already]

ranboo throws his communicator off to the side, ignoring how it bounces off the wall and falls to the ground uselessly, pinching the bridge of his nose to will away the pounding in his head. there’s probably an influx of messages but he has no time for that now, not when he has to rectify some important problems.

settling down in the bed beside tommy, as he pets a hand through the boy’s messy hair, he rests his memory book on his lap, one that he won't let dream get his hands on, and begins scribbling. the most important phrase stands out in bold.

_no matter what, always protect tommy._


	8. rust au

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tommy is super ticklish, ranboo finds out.
> 
> prompt from: iamnothereiswear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> friendship ended with the dreamsmp, friendship started with sbi rust /j
> 
> this is probably quite short but i’ve never written tickling before and wasn’t really sure how to make it cute. i hope this somewhat fills the prompt! you kind of need a basic understand of the sleepyrust server to get some of what is referenced here, but if you haven't seen wilbur's streams, here's a basic rundown: wilbur and tommy have created a religion centered around a dome and ranboo is pretty much everyone's punching bag at this point 
> 
> (update: i realised there is a wiki on the rust server so if you look up sleepyrust on google you should be able to find all the info on everything that’s happened so far there)
> 
> in my au, a newly resurrected wilbur grabs all the children and immediately removes them from the dreamsmp. after going through the hub world for a while, they stumble onto the rust server and decide to stay there, alongside some people from the dreamsmp as well as some new faces.

ranboo awakens in his rickety bed, staring up at a wooden ceiling that already seems on the verge of collapse despite being only a few days old.

with an unimpressed sigh, he pushes himself up on his elbows and pats himself down, checking that everything is still intact. even now, a couple of weeks into no longer being on a three-lives limit, he’s still not used to being on a server with infinite respawning. ranboo counts his fingers before brushing them over the sides of his face, making sure his pointy ears haven’t changed.

a spark of fear always comes alongside waking up, probably because the dreamsmp had ranboo so used to blacking out at random. but as he climbs out of bed and makes his way down the stairs, it’s easy to figure out he’s not stuck in the arctic cold anymore. sunlight rushes in through the windows and the warm heat prickles over his skin, a comforting feeling.

he pushes open his door, taking in the bright sun overhead that burns his vibrant eyes, keeping a hand above his brow for a semblance of shade. ranboo has never been particularly familiar with modded servers, but there is something nice about this one, he thinks. taking away all the luxury resources had created a sense of calm amongst its new residents.

ranboo no longer needs to fight over netherite or diamonds. it’s just stone and broken machine parts he needs to get his hands on, if only someone would stop stealing everything from him. said someone is waiting for him as he turns the corner around his house, standing right next to the extremely obnoxious  _ we <3 dome  _ sign, sheepishly towering over the remains of ranboo’s inventory. 

it’s admittedly nice to see tommy actually looking somewhat healthy. even with dirt embedded beneath his fingernails from scavenging and some blood streaked through his golden hair, there’s a glow to his skin now, lips pulled into a happy grin that could light up a whole island. ranboo tries (and fails, if the way the corners of his own mouth twitch upwards is a sign of anything) to pretend that the boy’s impish smile isn’t endearing. 

“would you believe me if i said that it was an accident?” tommy quickly says, a nervous edge to his voice as he stuffs his gun back into his inventory. ranboo isn’t exactly sure how wilbur decided it was a good idea to give his energetic brother a firearm, not when he’s sure it’s already caused the pair of them enough trouble by now.

“tommy, in the five days we’ve been here you’ve killed me about ten times, murdered two of my horses and attempted to mug more times than i could count.” ranboo has actually begun keeping a tally of tommy-related incidents in his memory book, ever since the boy decided bashing people over the head with a rock is his new favorite pastime. 

tommy’s always been reckless with a penchant for violence and now he can indulge in it without any of the harsh consequences. it’s a bit of a nightmare for ranboo, because he has no backbone to speak of and is least likely of this place’s inhabitants to lash out in response. there’s not much he really can do to fend tommy off.

“so, i’m guessing that’s a no then,” tommy murmurs, rocking back and forth on his heels. it’s so blatantly clear that the boy is simply bored, which makes sense all things considered. grinding to gain more materials isn’t exactly the most enjoyable activity and this server is practically barren compared to the dreamsmp’s many people and places.

“do you not have anything to do other than-” ranboo gestures out to his body that has still yet to despawn, hoping that it will disappear before one of the local cannibals shows up and wow, ranboo never thought he’d ever had to deal with that. “this?”

“wilbur’s busy making our dome church and there’s only so much stone collecting one man can do, ran,” tommy whines, sounding so indignant that ranboo can barely bite back a laugh. “what else am i supposed to do to entertain myself?”

“something other than killing me, preferably?” ranboo asks, stepping forward with purpose. despite his enderman genes and tall height, he’s not exactly the most intimidating or strong figure, and tommy’s an extremely dirty fighter, evidenced by the bite marks present on the arms of most of the people he spars with (and the boy swears he isn’t a raccoon, really).

he’s going to give his best attempt at catching him at least. ranboo is perfectly ready to frag the boy kicking and screaming back to the slightly less chaotic wilbur. his brother is more able to rein him in, largely because alivebur is stricter when it comes down to his brother’s antics (and god, ranboo does not want to imagine how worse it would be to be stuck here with just ghostbur to keep tommy in control).

wilbur is just a tad more responsible and was at least willing to teach ranboo some of the server specific mechanics while tommy just played random tunes on his guitar and passed out from exhaustion right in his doorway. it’s better for ranboo to go for tactics like this, since harsh methods have never been his preferred way to get a point across. 

“come on, i’m taking you back to wilbur, he can deal with you for today.” tommy takes a step back but he’s not quick enough to dodge ranboo’s arms. he grabs tommy around the waist, a rougher touch than what he’d usually give to the somewhat delicate frame, getting ready to sling the boy over his shoulder. ranboo’s not strong, but tommy is still fairly light, an aftereffect of his exile, so he’s sure it’ll be fine.

but the minute ranboo gets his hands on him, tommy freezes, a choked noise slipping from his lips. for a moment, there’s silence, just the sound of wind rustling through the trees as their eyes meet. then it clicks and ranboo makes a few targeted scratches at tommy’s sides and even through his t-shirt, it’s enough to have him squirming, a light squeak torn from his mouth. 

tommy glares up at ranboo but between the laughter he is clearly holding back and the soft blue of his eyes, he looks a lot more like a slightly frazzled kitten than anything else. “oh.” ranboo sounds far too amused and it makes tommy’s gaze sharpen, his fight or flight senses kicking in. “you’re ticklish, huh?”

“don’t you fucking dare-” tommy forces out the words through clenched teeth, but his mouth falls open in gasp when ranboo’s squeezes his sides once again, followed by a sharp, panicked giggle that makes ranboo smile widely. “ran, no-”

tommy’s hands try to push at ranboo’s own, desperate to escape but ranboo just slides one up underneath tommy’s shirt, clawing at his ribs as tommy giggles again, going limp in his grasp. “just so you know, this is punishment from stealing from me all the time,” ranboo tells him, nonchalant as tommy lets out a seemingly endless stream of laughter at the assault on his sensitive skin.

the panic seems to have melted away as tommy stops writhing, small hands curling into the soft fabric of ranboo’s jacket, the glint in his eyes more light-hearted than alarmed. faintly, ranboo recognises it’s been a long time since either of them could truly act like this, act like the kids they actually are rather than the soldiers that server had forced them to be. it’s a pleasant realization and ranboo finds himself radiant at the thought.

never removing his hands from tommy’s waist, he backs them up gently until tommy’s back is resting against the sign on the side of ranboo’s house. there’s a slight possibility that the paint isn’t fully dry yet but neither of them recognize it, not when ranboo’s crowding tommy between rough wood and the warm plane of his chest.

the position is a little awkward given how their long legs end up tangled together but ranboo is too focused on tommy’s little giggles to care, slowing down the scratching of his fingers over tommy’s stomach when tommy starts pleading. “ran, please, stop it-” he pushes out through cackling chuckles and ranboo thinks he’ll allow mercy under one condition.

“i’ll stop if you apologize for bothering me so much,” ranboo complains, even though there’s a bright grin on his face, pointed teeth poking out more than usual. tommy glares up half-heartedly into his multi-colored eyes and if he wasn’t still giggling, ranboo assumes a childish pout would be on his lips.

“i’m sorrrrry.” tommy drags the word out through heavy breaths and while it’s evidently not genuine, ranboo finally slides his fingers out from beneath tommy’s t-shirt, arms coming to tug the other closer around his shoulders.

“and you promise you’ll stop trying to steal anything from me?” ranboo doesn’t mention that he’d give tommy the world if the boy just asked for it instead of grabbing random stuff from his toolbox. that’s a little too sappy and while ranboo isn’t exactly known for being stoic, he’s at least got a tiny bit of reputation at stake. 

“promise.” tommy’s voice sounds slurred, too tired from his laughter to speak more than a single word, his head falling into the center of ranboo’s chest. he slumps further into the taller’s embrace and clings onto him as if he’s a koala, arms tight around ranboo’s middle. 

it’s not strange for them to be so close, not when they had grown used to it when ranboo would visit a touch-starved tommy in logsteadshire, but they haven’t had much time for each other lately, too busy setting up their own bases. he’s missed this, truly. ranboo rubs a comforting hand down the ridges of tommy’s spine, hunching over slightly so he can press a kiss on his forehead. 

there’s something calming about having tommy in his arms like this, the intimacy taking ranboo’s thoughts off the server they left behind and the people that may miss them. at least, ranboo feels calm until he seems two figures in the distance. on closer inspection, it’s wilbur, striding forward with a vengeance and practically exuding don’t-you-dare-touch-my-baby-brother vibes, and tubbo, who seems far too amused. 

“hello, ranboo,” wilbur utters when he’s close enough, tone sharp and cutthroat, his stare refusing to waver from ranboo’s eyes. ranboo may be able to manage eye contact with tommy and tubbo, but with anyone else it’s a completely different story, and he shrinks under glaring eyes. the man doesn’t even acknowledge his brother, although tommy seems dead to the world, practically dozing off already.

ranboo was never scared of ghostbur, with his blue-stained hands and happily vacant smile, but alivebur is genuinely terrifying, his gaze calculated and his smirk practically telling ranboo to make a wrong move. “uh, hello?” ranboo stutters, glad his voice doesn’t crack even if it comes out as more of a question. “um, why are you here, wilbur, if you don’t mind me asking, that is?”

“tubbo here-” wilbur gestures over to the boy who keeps on smiling, seemingly on the verge of laughing at ranboo’s plight. “has informed me that someone was inappropriately touching my brother. you wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“no, sir.” the words come out in a rush and ranboo dies a little inside. “definitely nothing inappropriate happening here. nothing at all.” he laughs nervously. wilbur goadingly stares at him for a little longer, and ranboo sweats under his scrutiny until the man turns, trench coat coat flaring around his knees, stalking back into woods. 

“oh jeez, that was terrifying.” ranboo ignores tommy stifling laughter into his shirt and glares directly at tubbo, who responds by trying to appear as innocent as possible. ranboo has known him long enough not to be fooled by the act. “are you trying to get me killed? i’ve already died enough here as it is.”

“you were literally shoving your hands up his shirt, what did you expect me to think?” tubbo is smirking and ranboo holds back the urge to do something rather unpleasant, focusing his attention on petting a hand through tommy’s soft hair. “wilbur’s not tommy’s only brother here, you know. i’ve got to protect his innocence too.”

“i was just tickling him,” ranboo defends himself, not entirely fond of the implication that he’d do unspeakable things to his boyfriend in public view. 

“you know, just because you say that doesn’t mean you were getting off on it,” tubbo points out, cackling when ranboo splutters, cheeks flaring red even if he knows the other is just messing with him. 

“you’re judging me for hypothetically having a weird kink? tubbo, you’re literally a cannibal,” ranboo replies incredulously, gaining just a rolling of his eyes in response. he could say more but there’s a sudden tug at his sleeve and he looks down to find tommy tiredly rubbing at his eyes.

“can we go for a nap, ran? ‘m tired.” the words come out in a soft whine and ranboo holds back the urge to coo at him in front of tommy’s best friend/brother, knowing the other would never forgive him for it. he ignores tubbo’s knowing glances and herds the other towards the door of his home.

“alright,” he softly murmurs, waving tubbo a quick goodbye as he nudges open the entranceway and finds himself with an armful of tommyinnit, the boy’s arms winding around his neck. ranboo hides a smile in his hair, carefully hoisting the younger up into his arms. “time for bed then, yeah?”

ranboo expects an answer but he glances down to find tommy already asleep, slumbering with his nose pressed into the curve of his neck. sometimes, ranboo wonders if fleeing was the best decision to make. in moments like these, with tommy finally comfortable enough to be so vulnerable, he thinks it definitely was. 


	9. protective!ranboo au pt. 2.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ranboo sickfic where he gets sick from being out in the snow for too long and tommy has to take care of him.
> 
> prompt from: masqueed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for not updating very consistently throughout january! i spent the entire month not feeling 100%, but i'm a lot better now and i'm hoping to get more oneshots done soon :)
> 
> this is marked as 2.5 rather than it's own part as it leads on from the events of part 2. i hope it's enjoyable even if it is fairly short!!

tommy might be reckless and kind of an idiot at times, but he isn’t blind.

sure, dream had a pretty good hold over him in exile, but tommy likes to think that the manipulation only got to him so easily because of his compromised state. here, in the warmth of a fractured but healing family home, he’s a little more settled, a little less on edge.

there’s something different about the way his heart twists when he spots the purple flush spreading over the slope of ranboo’s nose in an imitaion of the red that would paint a non-hybrid’s face. the chill is clearly getting to him, gangly arms still covered by the sleeves of an ugly sweater wrapping around his own waist.

they are both covered in a fine sprinkling of snowflakes and their feet are beginning to sink deeper and deeper into the rising pile of snow that leads up to the cabin’s stairs, but tommy is far too focused on ranboo to pay any attention to the cold. he can’t quite put a finger on what this brand new feeling is.

tommy has a special brand of affection that comes in the form of self-sacrificing loyalty, but it’s not often he finds himself so eager to engage in anything too intimate. sure, on occasion he would hug wilbur and members of the server would often find him holding hands with tubbo as tommy complained with barely any contempt in his voice about how clingy the other was.

but tommy looks up at ranboo, the furrow of his brow and the slightly disgruntled shine to his multi-colored eyes, and finds himself wanting to burrow into the older’s arms till those signs of stress melt away. it’s entirely new and tommy sure as hell doesn’t have any fucking idea how to cope with it.

“how do any of you even handle it out here?” ranboo complains, voice shaking as his teeth chatter, chin tilting down so he can bury his nose into the woollen scarf that tommy had wrapped around his neck just hours prior.

“c’mon, big man, it can’t be  _ that  _ bad,” tommy responds with a cheeky grin, racing up the stairs and narrowly avoiding slipping on a patch of ice at the top step. he ignores ranboo’s little huff of laughter and the way it makes his heart race just that little bit quicker. “a little bit of snow has never hurt anybody.”

well, at least to tommy it isn’t that bad. he had grown up in a biome that always faced the worst of each season and the snowfall was always excessive no matter the year. he and tubbo had spent hours upon hours pelting each other with snowballs and trying not to cackle when one would always accidentally smack wilbur in the face.

ranboo never discloses anything truly noteworthy about his past, although presumably he had to have grown up alongside the rest of his kind. tommy isn’t even sure if the hybrid remembers most of that time, but even he, as rash as he may be, recognizes that it’s too insensitive of a topic to ever bring up.

“i can’t even feel my hands,” ranboo mutters, long legs striding up the stairs so he can tower over tommy all over again. the skin stretched over his knuckles is admittedly beginning to fade into a strange colour, but tommy can’t stare at them for too long before his mind begins to wander. “techno is part piglin and yet he chooses to live in the biome the least like the nether?”

“tech’s weird like that,” tommy shrugs, because he’s never quite gotten that either. it runs in the family at least, since phil has wings but spent the early years of tommy’s youth living in a cabin with no mountains to take off from. in hindsight, it was for the best given tommy’s risk-taking behavior had begun to show up at an early age. “but it’s probably the most isolated he could get. i doubt anyone from l’manburg would travel this far just to get stuck halfway in a snowstorm.”

“except me,” ranboo comments. there is something sobering about his expression, a tenseness about the thin line of his lips, eyes suddenly a little more solemn. tommy would complain about being pitied if it wasn’t so nice for someone to put him first for once. ranboo cared when no one else would and that is still something tommy refuses to let go of.

“except you,” tommy affirms, turning to avoid ranboo’s searching gaze as he pushes open the door to techno’s cabin. cold air rushes into the space, wiping out the warmth created by the fireplace. techno doesn’t raise his head from where he’s reading, likely another mythological story just so he can find another character to compare tommy to.

tommy hums, hearing the door shut gently behind him by ranboo’s hand as he winds the red scarf off his neck and hangs it back in its usual spot. he swivels around on the heels of his sneakers, ready to make sure ranboo is taking his off too just so techno doesn’t complain later, but pauses, mouth twisting into a frown.

“you’re really shaking.” and ranboo is, whole body rattled with shakes with his lips tinted slightly blue. tommy steps up on his tiptoes so he can reach the other’s forehead, the back of his hand resting over the other’s skin before he wrenches it back in shock at just how icy he feels. “um, that’s not good. maybe you should sit down?”

“that’s probably a good idea,” ranboo murmurs and for a second, tommy assumes he’s about to walk over to the nearby couch. but then the hybrid covers his nose and sneezes, a spark of purple particles surrounding his form before he is suddenly halfway across the room, high waist awkwardly slamming into the edge of techno’s table.

the piglin peers up over the rim of his glasses, clearly disgruntled, and tommy bites his lip, holding back a laugh at how ranboo tries to pretend that he doesn’t find the man slightly terrifying, even when he’s not in his usual cloak and crown combo. but then he’s sneezing again and he’s back in the space beside tommy, blinking in shock at his own body’s reaction to being sick.

“this is what happens when you stay out in the cold for too long,” phil sighs, rising up from one of the lower levels as he puts the results of his trading back in his inventory. he stands with his arms crossed, a contemplative look on his face, and tommy hasn’t seen him appear so fatherly in a while.

ranboo seems resigned under the scrutiny, as if he is expecting no one to pay attention to his sudden ailment even though he is teleporting all over the place. that changes when tommy drags one of the heavy blankets off the couch and stretches up to rest over ranboo’s shoulders, earning a confused look that tommy responds to with a smile.

“you can sit in front of the fireplace,” phil gestures to the pile of the logs that burn brightly and ranboo slowly sits down on the soft rug that he runs his claws over, still surprised even weeks in at how homely techno’s house happens to be. “i’ll go make you another hot chocolate again. i’m assuming you’ll want one too, toms?” 

the drowsiness begins to sink deeper and deeper into ranboo’s core, but he manages to hear phil chuckle at tommy’s eager nod before the boy drops down beside him, staring up into ranboo’s bleary eyes with an endearing smile as he pats his knees. 

ranboo isn’t quite sure what the other means, not until he feels hands gently cup his shoulders before dragging him down unceremoniously into his lap, his suddenly spinning head resting over tommy’s thighs. he opens his mouth to complain at the rough treatment but then fingers are running through his monochrome hair, scratching lightly over the base of his pointed ears.

something akin to a purr rumbles through ranboo’s chest and tommy tries his best not to laugh when ranboo’s tail waves in the air, obviously pleased by the attention as if he is a cat curled up on his owner’s lap. “you can rest here as long as you want, ran,” tommy whispers, his voice so soft that ranboo barely manages to catch his words. “well, at least until my legs go numb.”

“l’manburg will need me back,” ranboo tries to say. he’s fairly certain that the cabinet had a meeting planned for this evening and he needs to be there to take notes and he’s not exactly ready to deal with quackity or fundy’s ire if he misses one. but coherency is lost as he pushes his head further in tommy’s hand, the words slurred. 

“l’manburg can wait,” tommy replies, nonchalant, as if it is that easy. they both know that normalcy is a lost cause on this server and tommy doesn’t even sound convinced of the notion himself. but it’s tommy and ranboo is so weak for him above all else that he just lets himself melt into the soft touch.

“i’ve never seen tommy like this,” phil absently comments, under his breath so tommy can’t hear him, the noise of him stirring a spoon in a mug nearly overshadowing his voice. but ranboo’s ears twitch in interest and he plays it off as a happy response to the petting, when in actuality he’s using his hybrid traits to his advantage. “he’s so…”

“gentle,” techno finishes for him, sounding equal parts fond and utterly repulsed. ranboo holds back an amused grin, sinking further and further into the void that threatens to take over. the last thing he hears before he falls asleep is - “i guess that’s what young love will do to someone. disgusting.”

_ love?  _ tommy thinks to himself.  _ is that what this is? _


	10. my own prompts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m super sorry for the lack of updates this month,, i was feeling a lot better when i posted the last chapter but a couple of days later, i just got really down and de-motivated again. i’m working on a request right now but it will probably take a while for me to complete unfortunately.
> 
> to pass the time till my next update, here are some prompts of my own! they are aus i’ve been thinking about for a while now, but i don’t have the energy to actually write out as a fic. i doubt anyone will use them, i more so posting them just so the ideas don’t rot away in my drafts forever :)

_ both aus take place in canon dreamsmp. may involve spoilers for recent arcs if you’re not caught up on streams from the last month or two.  _

-

1\. _tw: possible major character death_

phil has been trying relentlessly to bring wilbur back to life, but nothing seems to work. that is until it’s revealed that dream has a book that may reveal all the answers to how resurrection will work. 

the problem is that dream, despite being locked away in a prison cell, isn’t exactly the most forthcoming with information. but dream has one weakness - tommy himself.

tommy’s tired. and so when he uses dream’s fascination with him to his advantage, he’s lead right to the book, which tells him that each time there’s been something missing: a life.

the server still has multiple people with three lives left, who could give their own to bring back wilbur. but tommy, worn down from endless abuse, has had enough. he’s willing to give wilbur another chance even if it means tommy will have none left.

dream intended for tommy to break after realising what it would cost to bring his brother back. dream didn’t realise tommy was already broken long before now.

and so tommy sets up the ritual, but someone stumbles upon him. it’s ranboo.

what happens from there is up to personal choice. does ranboo realise what’s happening immediately? or does the worst case scenario happen and he only intervenes when it’s too late to stop anything?

if ranboo stops tommy, does he take tommy to techno and phil, despite the animosity between them? if he does, how do they react - do they realise how bad tommy’s mental state has gotten, or do they not even care in the first place? or does he take tommy to sam, who ranboo knows he can rely on to protect him? or does he take him to tubbo, the only person other friend tommy seems to have left? or does he take tommy with him and run away from it all, aware of how damaging the server is to tommy?

if ranboo doesn’t manage to stop tommy, what is the aftermath? does ranboo even remember the time in exile - if he doesn’t, does he find himself breaking down without knowing exactly why, feeling as if he’s missing something important without even remembering it? or does he remember exile entirely and instead ends up losing someone who gave up everything for him? does grief make him sad or vengeful? will he give up his own life to bring tommy back?

-

2\. the timeline is fucked up entirely and there’s nothing that can be done to fix it. the egg has taken over most of the server and nearly everyone is dead, apart from three: karl, ranboo and tommy.

karl knows a lot of what happens hinges on tommy, as he’s the ‘protagonist’ of the story and the only one who will keep on walking forward when faced with endless challenges. and so this time, he sends tommy back in time (along with ranboo, because even if he has memory problems, three time travellers is better than just two).

what happens depends on where in the timeline they find themselves. does tommy wake up in l’manburg, before eret betrayed them, before karl was even on the server to help guide him into making a better future? does he end up in pogtopia, stuck with his deteriorating brother, trying to fix what seems broken beyond repair? and during these times, is ranboo waiting, memories still intact in the notebook always in his inventory, desperately trying to get an invite on the sever so he can help keep tommy sane?

or do they find themselves back on the day ranboo was introduced to the server, with ranboo trying to act as if he’s never been there before and tommy constantly holding back the urge to burrow in his arms as if it could protect him from what’s to come, both of them avoiding the burning george’s house down incident? or do they return back in the middle of tommy’s trial - does ranboo reveal himself as one of the culprits, does he defend tommy considering multiple people on the server have done the same with no consequences (something ranboo shouldn’t know by this point), do they both get sent to exile together or does l’manburg decide to go against dream?

or do they come back when tommy is exile and ranboo immediately runs to logsteadshire, where he finds tommy battered and bruised from dream’s latest punishment, and decides to toss away being subtle, instead installing himself as tommy’s protector? do they ever reveal that they travelled back in time to anyone? or do they tell no one, leaving everyone around them to wonder how they got so close, with some suspicious of the change in tommy’s character?


	11. wedding bouquets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> during fundy’s and dream’s wedding, they were all gathered up to watch dream throw the bouquet into the air. when dream throws the bouquet, the bouquet lands on tommy's head. tommy turned around so fast that he nearly slips if it weren’t for ranboo catching him with his arms around tommy’s waist. everyone just hears tommy shout in surprise, and look back to see tommy holding the bouquet, white petals in his hair, and see his back to ranboo’s chest with ranboo’s arms around his waist. tommy just looks at them, slightly flushed, and goes, “what the fuck was that for, you green bastard?! why the fuck did you throw the damn flowers at me?!” and ranboo knows what catching the bouquet means and just blushes so dang hard. catching a bride’s bouquet means that they’ll be the next one married!
> 
> prompt from: disaster_fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i finally managed to get this done!! i got pretty worked up over canon events and so desperately needed to write some fluff. hopefully anyone who was looking for something happy after what's happened to these two recently can find a little comfort in this chapter :)

weddings aren’t exactly in tommy’s comfort zone. 

he’s not really a hopeless romantic, just a sixteen year old kid too focused on wrecking havoc to even think of what it would be like to settle down. it’s not as if he has the best role models when it comes to relationships either. 

it’s not as if you could witness any ceremonies when there are just five of you stuck in a cottage in the middle of a winter snowstorm, and coming out of seclusion hadn’t changed much either. 

sally had fled, leaving behind a fox-like baby behind in wilbur’s arms, and with that came the family’s move to the dreamsmp, with now six players to the watson name. said fox in now shifting nervously under everyone’s scrutiny as dream leads him around the crowd in their first dance as a pair of newlyweds. 

tommy tries to not pay attention to the heart eyes the admin is sporting. they are so prominent it’s almost kind of disgusting. 

there’s something a little off-putting about signing away all of your love for good to just one other person, tommy thinks. 

maybe it’s because he’s not one to trust too easily, not after growing up on the streets as an orphan who would have a front row seat to watching random pairs of lovers fall apart. perhaps it is because he’s a boy with far too much affection to give, enough space in his heart to hold every member of the server, enough spite to hold grudges for a lifetime. 

fundy and him are nothing alike, despite their status as uncle and nephew, for tommy would never be able to hold hands with a former enemy. tommy’s not the only one to keep desperately clinging to resentment, but even so, it still seems like everyone decided to show up to the rural church. 

tommy can easily catch a glimpse of puffy from the crowd due to her shockingly white hair, the woman half-heartedly wiping away her tears at the sight of her duckling’s fond smile. even schlatt is here, although he had claimed loud and proud that he was only attending for the free alcohol. 

he’s not quite sure how any of them are handling being stuck in suits and silk dresses for so long. tommy has thrown away the suit jacket the minute dream said ‘i do’, quickly untucking his button-up shirt and rolling up the edge of his black pants so his usual sneakers could fit over his ankles.

it’s much more comfortable, but he knows wilbur, stuck in his overprotective father mode, will probably scold him for not keeping up with the dress code. so he sticks to the back of the crowd, out of sight, out of anyone’s mind. and well, wilbur’s scolding is not the only reason he’s standing here. 

ranboo is overwhelmingly tall, enough that he can easily see over everyone else’s heads, and he had been unceremoniously pushed to the back after quackity had complained for the tenth time that he couldn’t see past the almost giant hybrid. 

and well, ranboo is nice to talk to, because he goes along with tommy’s banter without obviously wanting to punch him in the face. that’s a blatant plus on a server full of people who just find tommy annoying, so he can complain to his heart’s content and hear ranboo’s endearing chuckles just hidden behind the soft music.

“c’mon, big man, it’s not that bad of a plan,” tommy grumbles, ignoring how the corners of ranboo’s mouth tilt up slightly at tommy’s childishness. he scans his eyes over the crowd, half-hearted in his disdain of the almost sugary sweet decorations surrounding them, doing his absolute best not to blush over the hybrid’s fond smile.

“do you really think spiking the punch with invisibility potions would go down at all well?” tommy can tell that ranboo is trying his hardest not to feed into tommy’s silly ideas, but the other is so clearly trying to choke back laughter that tommy thinks the prank would almost be worth it. not that he has the energy or want right now to receive an admin’s scolding. 

“well, no, but that’s the whole point, innit?” tommy runs a hand through the mess of soft curls resting over his forehead nervously, ignoring how ranboo’s small chuckle makes his heart race just that tiny bit faster. “you already know common sense isn’t my strong point, ran.”

“i think i figured that out when you dragged me into burning george’s house down,” ranboo comments dryly, casting aside tommy’s protest of  _‘that was an accident!’_ without a second glance and clapping when the couple’s dance finally comes to a halt. “what’s so bad about this anyways? aren’t you happy for fundy?”

“of course i am,” tommy begrudgingly admits, even if he wishes the fox had chosen someone else to get married to. “it’s just so bor-ing.” when tommy huffs, it makes his cheeks puff out and he decides not to pay attention to how immature he must look right about now.

“who cares about all of this sappy shit anyways? if i have to see dream giggle at one of fundy’s shitt jokes one more time, i will get stabby. hell, i’ll start a fist fight if i have to just to get some entertainment around here,” tommy says, rocking side-to-side on restless legs.

“please don’t,” ranboo pleads, an undertone of amusement to his voice. he reaches out and ruffles tommy’s hair, chuckling when the boy squawks. his hand lingers there, twisted into the blonde strands, probably for longer than it should have, and a soft blush begins spreading over tommy’s cheeks at the prolonged contact. 

“and i guess stuff like that-” he gestures to where dream is bending down to press a kiss against fundy’s forehead. “just comes with being in love.”

“i’m very glad i’m not in love then,” tommy says and while his voice stays steady, he can’t bring himself to look up into ranboo’s eyes, not just because of the hybrid’s disliking of eye contact. it’s a complete lie, because tommy is absolutely in love and he, someone who has never been the most physically affectionate person, just wants to cling to ranboo’s side forever. it’s fucking wierd and he’s still not quite accepted it yet.

peering down, tommy takes note of the thin layer of white petals still present in the wicker basket that hangs off his arm. he cradles some in his palm, thumbs over their soft edges, and thinks about how they had cascaded down to rest over ranboo’s monochrome hair as the other boy smiled widely with a ring case clutched in his claws.

there’s a sudden rise of noise from the crowd and tommy startles up to see dream with his back to the crowd, something loosely held in his grasp. whatever it is, some of the people in the crowd seem eager to catch it. tommy doesn’t have time to think over whatever it might mean before the thing is hurtled directly at his head. 

dream must have gotten a pretty solid throw from all those ender pearl clutches, because he aimed completely outside of the center of the crowd. tommy squeaks as the thing just barely lands in his grasp - it’s a bouquet, he realises, filled with purple and white flowers - the jolting of his arm throwing petals everywhere, into his hair and across the previously spotless floor.

tommy lands back into something soft as he stumbles to make the catch, the sturdy yet comfortable something catching him before he can make a fool of himself by falling flat on his face. “what the fuck was that for, you green bastard?” tommy screeches, trying not to shrink as a sea of eyes turns to stare directly at him. “why the fuck did you throw the damn flowers at me? i’ll have you know i could…”

he trails off before he can finish the threat, suddenly registering a warmth that has slid down his waist and settled over his bony hips. it’s keeping him steady but his knees grow even weaker when he realises what, or who, it is. trying to stop the blush from overtaking his entire face, he tilts his head back slowly and is met with the sight of an equally flustered ranboo.

all of a sudden, tommy wishes the ground would swallow him whole, watching as the entirety of the dreamsmp gazes at him and ranboo, tangled up together in each other’s arms. this intimate touch might have been exactly what tommy wanted but he didn’t expect it to happen in front of everyone he’s ever met. 

thinking tommy has now regained his balance, the large hands over his hips pull back and ranboo shuffles away awkwardly, a strange purple-ish flush rising over his black and white cheeks. tommy tries not to fall over as his legs shake at the thought of ranboo’s chest pressed up against his back.

“why the fuck are you all staring at me?” tommy huffs, attempting to blow away one of the petals stuck in the hair that rests over his forehead. his voice cracks but he doesn’t let the embarrassment overwhelm him, letting his features morph into something a little more feral as if shame-fueled anger could erase the image everyone has in their heads now. it’s a shit attempt at saving face, admittedly, but they listen at least.

tommy and ranboo spend the next few minutes in awkward silence before the party fully kicks off and tommy is dragged this way and that by an over-excited tubbo who keeps looking back at him with sly, knowing glances. the bouquet never leaves his hands and quackity teases him for it, cackling at his confused expression

“why has over half of this damn server said congratulations to me? congratulations for what? catching some fucking flowers?” tommy complains to phil, disgruntled as karl passes by and flashes him a large grin, paired with a thumbs up. what is happening and why isn’t tommy in on the joke?

“oh, toms.” phils shakes his head, laughing as he pats tommy’s hair. his smile is fond and yet tommy gets the feeling it’s also a tad condescending. “why don’t you ask ranboo? i’m sure he’ll be able to explain.”

“why are you being so fucking cryptic?” phil’s smile does not waver and tommy huffs, turning on his heel. fine, then. he strides across the hall, scanning the crowd for a glimpse of ranboo’s towering form. over by the door, leading out to the paved balcony, stands the hybrid, who waves tommy over with a stilted smile.

ranboo pushes open the wide glass doors and tommy steps out into the summer air, heat crawling over his skin as he nears the railing and rests his elbows there, the petals of the bouquet rustled by the wind. “why’d you bring me out here, big man?”

“i wanted to see you away from all the noise,” ranboo admits. tommy nods. that much combined sound must really place hybrids on the verge of sensory overload, given their advanced sense of hearing. “also techno has been eyeing me up like i’m his next meal and i’d rather not stick around just to get stuck on the end of his sword."

“what’d you do to piss him off?” tommy snorts, casting his stare down at the flowers in his hands just so he won’t have to gaze upon how good ranboo looks in a more-fitted than usual suit. he’s not quite good at controlling his own greed still and part of him knows that if he starts looking, he’ll never stop staring ever again.

“i touched you,” ranboo says, scratching his cheek nervously. huh. he never expected techno to be overprotective for him, but he guesses even the blood god can act brotherly sometimes. not that tommy understands exactly what he has to be protective over. “when you, you know-” 

gangly limbs gesture to the bouquet still clenched tightly in tommy’s grip. “caught these? i don’t even know what they’re for. everyone keeps acting like they’re super important for some fucking reason.” he glances up and finds astonishment painted over ranboo’s face, the purple blush back in force. “what?” tommy barks. “what am i missing here?”

“um, i, you, uh-” ranboo trips over his own words, fiddling with his fingers as his tail wags behind him. “well, you see, at weddings, the bride always has their own bouquet to throw into the crowd.”

“and?” tommy raises an eyebrow, not catching onto exactly why a bunch of flowers would be all that special. “it’s just flowers, i don’t see the big deal-”

_“whoevercatchesthemwillgetmarriednext,”_ ranboo spits out in a rush, fast enough that tommy does not understand a single word he says, evident in the look of confusion that has yet to fade away. “uh,” ranboo stutters, sounding his words out slowly so he doesn’t let his own anxiety take over again. “when you catch the bouquet, it’s said you’ll be the next one to, um, get married? and since you landed in my arms…”

“oh,” tommy utters simply, palms trembling as he remembers the smug glaze to wilbur’s eyes as his brother kept smirking at him anytime ranboo was by his side. “oh,” he repeats a little louder, the words finally sinking in, the blush rising to a violent red colour that spreads up to the very tip of his ears.

“well,” tommy mumbles, burying his face into the bouquet. these flowers predict that he’ll be the next down the aisle and his clumsy actions mean that, by extension, everyone thinks ranboo will be the one waiting at the altar. tommy thinks that doesn’t sound too bad, even if everyone knowing is a pain. “i guess i wouldn’t mind it it were you i’d be marrying.”

tommy’s brain-to-mouth filter had malfunctioned and the minute he catches up to reality, tommy’s starts desperately stammering, trying to form a single sentence to deny what he said, because there’s probably nothing more humiliating than confessing to your crush just meters away from every single one of your neighbours.

but then ranboo’s striding forward with purpose in his steps, despite the clear awkwardness still present in each movement. the flowers tumble out of tommy’s slack grasp and ranboo’s large hands curl around his jaw, tugging him up onto his tip-toes. there’s kisses pressed over his forehead, down to the tip of his nose, before ranboo is brushing his lips against tommy’s own.

there’s nothing but silence for a second, just the soft breeze blowing through the nearby trees and tommy’s own heart racing in his ears, before ranboo pulls back and rests their foreheads together. there’s nothing to say, not when ranboo’s endeared gaze meets tommy’s own without any protest from his enderman instincts.

ranboo reaches down and gently picks up an allium from the flowers now littered across the pavement, clutching the stem between two claws as he slots it behind tommy’s ear. the ball-like flower stands out against tommy’s golden hair and it’s a faint reminder of the day long ago, when ranboo and tommy wrecked havoc together days after meeting, when a spark of interest fired up in tommy’s heart for a hybrid who he’d only known at best for a week.

“tommy,” ranboo breathes out. “i really, really like you.”

“i like you too, dumbass. of course i do.”

and really, that’s all there is to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (in another life, another failed timeline, ranboo clutches a purple flower in his palm and crushes the petals into pieces.
> 
> there is no wedding, no flowers cascading over the aisle, no warm boy wrapped in ranboo’s arms. just a death without a body to mourn.
> 
> “you’re gone,” ranboo whispers. “you’re gone and i never got to tell you. i can never repay you, i can never show you how much you helped, i can never tell you that i-”
> 
> he chokes on his own sobs, tears burning scars down his cheeks. “how do i keep going on without you?”
> 
> what’s a ring bearer without his flower boy? absolutely useless.)


End file.
